


Redemption

by Number_NinetyNine



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Apologies, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Captain America Sam Wilson, Depression, Endgame is not my ending, F/M, Family, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Happy Ending, Healing, I'm Bad At Tagging, Morgan at Highschool, Morgan at MIT, Old Steve Rogers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Endgame, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Stony Fan, Suicidal Thoughts, Therapy, Time Travel, Torture, Trauma, Uncle Happy Hogan, Uncle James "Rhodey" Rhodes, they try their best, young Steve rogers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:06:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27147760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Number_NinetyNine/pseuds/Number_NinetyNine
Summary: The last time we saw Morgan, she was five years old, but how will her life be as a teenager?Pepper tries her best to keep her safe, Happy and Rhodey just want everybody to enjoy life and Steve may be looking for a happy ending of his long life.But just when everything seemed to get better for Morgan, it gets worse. She is yet losing more people she loves and what if Justin Hammer is part of it? Can she save them and maybe even bring back her father? And when someone starts messing with time, Strange is not far away. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, she finds a friend in a person she hated all her life. Together, they should be able to save the universe and Tony Stark, shouldn't they?
Relationships: Happy Hogan/May Parker (Spider-Man), Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to my story about Morgan in her teens, I hope you will like it.
> 
> A little warning at the beginning, I'm not a native english speaker, I try my best to correct possible mistakes by rereading as often as possible. I believe I will do alright and I prefer english over my native language in writing.
> 
> Trigger warning: Minor mentions of self-harm and suicide
> 
> Enjoy it!

Morgan had a nice childhood, at least that was the answer she gave to people who asked. It happened relatively often in the last month, Morgan admitted to herself. When she was a child, she never realized just how many people regarded her. They pitied her. 

But now in Highschool, it wasn’t just the teachers. There were her classmates and their parents. She knew what they thought when they glanced at her. “Look, Stark’s daughter, a real pity.” “Poor child.” Morgan didn’t like it. She hated it. It didn’t make walking around school alone any easier. A genius that hates school. History keeps on repeating itself. 

But there was only one person with whom she talked about school problems, her superhero Steve. Steve remained the closed thing to a best friend she ever had. He was an old man of course, but also the only person that understood her without asking. Plus, she trusted him and he would take everything with him to the grave. 

Morgan sighed silently while looking at her math test. Steve would die soon, there was no denying the situation. He was old, like super-serum-old, ancient. She had no idea how old, but definitely older than ordinary people. 

Morgan wiped away the tear in the corner of her eye. She didn’t want Steve to die. Losing her only friend, losing just another part of her Dad… Steve talked a lot about her father, more than anybody else. He knew many stories about him. He talked about good things but also the bad moments between them. 

With her mom and her uncle Rhodey, everything was always good, great even. It was the same thing with Happy, under no circumstances did they talk about miserable times, that Morgan knew existed, maybe more so than good times. They wouldn’t dare to talk about some of her father’s fault, even if he learned from his mistakes.

Steve made no bones about it. She guessed that sometimes the old man would forget it was her he was talking to. And when he realized there was no Tony, he got sad, depressed even, tearful. She remained silent then. It took the man a couple of minutes before he was back to normal. 

Morgan was heartbroken about these moments. He likely had Alzheimer or dementia. She didn’t know, but not even her Mom reacted that emotional, when they talked about Tony. It was odd. Steve was obviously still not over it and she hadn’t solved that riddle yet. The only thing she knew for sure was that she would get lonely without Steve, very lonely. 

She shouldn’t think about it in school, even less while having a test. Nobody was allowed to see her tears, to see just how terrible she felt. Life was not marvelous when your Dad scarified himself for the universe. In fact, it was dreadful. In one word, it was shit. But she couldn’t show people that, it would be unfair for all the people who got their family back…

But right there was the whole problem, Morgan did never stop thinking. Nobody did, but she was sure other people could at least fall asleep at night without having to overthink every single moment in their life. 

She looked it up. People needed at least eight hours a day of sleep. She was lucky when she enjoyed four hours in two days. It’s vicious circle. She gets to stick in her head, when it’s all too much. When all these thoughts flood her brain, she gets furious. She’s angry at herself. It feels as if her head might explode. It never did. But the anger stayed with her until she freaked and all that pain and anger leaves for a little while. 

Minor things made her freak out, small discussions with her mom, losing a game against Happy or even the question, if she’s alright. That were the moments that pushed her over the edge. She could barely let it out, so it would end up like this. 

Once, only once, had she banged her head multiple times against a wall just to get dizzy and stop the rush of her thoughts. She bled, but she didn’t tell anyone then. A couple of days later, she confessed it to Steve, only him. She had shocked Captain America, who had held her in his arms for hours. He hadn’t said a word.

Short after, Happy started to box with her, it had most likely been Steve’s idea, but he never told anything about the incidence. It helped, though, even if it was just for a short amount of time. After she had her little ‘moments’, she felt worse than before. She was weak. Morgan hated her weakness. Her Dad had not been weak. Nobody – she knew – was. 

“Morgan!” a voice took her out of her head. Miss Rodriguez. Morgan raised her head, tiredly she looked up to the woman in front of her. “Shouldn’t you rather do your test instead of having your head in the clouds?” 

The girl looked down on her test and then back to her teacher. “I’m done.” she answered. She gave the paper to the woman. The teacher looked at her, as if Morgan was a disgrace. It hurt, every time. 

It was not Morgan’s fault that she was intelligent, a genius, but Miss Rodriguez just seemed to forget it all the time, which was impossible. She absolutely hated Morgan for whatever reason. Maybe because Morgan corrected her wrong equation, well maybe because she did it quite regularly. Still not her fault, that her teacher was an idiot.

She had completed the test in twenty minutes. She could have done it in fifteen but in between she had found an answer for one of DUM-E’s multiple malfunctions, not that she would fix it completely. She didn’t want a robot that actually did some work, she wanted Dummy. Miss Rodriguez was still looking at her, weird woman. Morgan looked away and put her head already in another project she was working on.

Sometimes, often, Morgan wished, her mom had sent her to a school with other genius kids. But Pepper Potts had been anything but pleased about this idea, she needed her daughter near her. Rhodey convinced her to send her to a better school a couple of miles farther away from their home, but still near enough to live at home. 

Happy brought her to school, every morning, and he picked her up, every afternoon. She had never taken a bus in her entire life. No wonder, the other kids thought she was weird and didn’t like her. Spoiled brat. Tiredly, she let her head fall into her right hand. 

Every so often, she wished to not be the daughter of the savior of the universe, to not be the heiress of Stark Industries, to not be a genius. To not be Morgan Stark. She wished to not be. And more and more, she wished her father hadn’t been a genius either, he wouldn’t have figured out time travel. He would still be alive, Natasha would and Steve wouldn’t be an old man. 

She had known nothing but the world with only half of the population. It had been okay to her. But always when she thought about these things, she felt miserable after. She was ashamed of herself. Billions of lives, it was just worth more than one or two. 

And there was, nevertheless, Peter, Clint with his family… She was so egoistic. A characteristic that ran in the family. She was not a good person. Never was, never will be, because she would always hate the fact, that it was her Dad to give his life for all the others.

These people deserved their lives. Even Dumbledore did, although Morgan detested him with every fiber of her being. Stupid, wizard with his stupid circles. Even the cheap copy of Captain America, with her stupid blond hair deserved to live, and still Morgan thought, why that stupid bitch couldn’t have snapped her fingers. She was really surrounded by stupid people, wasn’t she? Could be her new favorite word…

When the gong sounded, she quickly jumped up, snatched her bag and disappeared.

Happy leaned on the car with entangled arms, he tried to stare everybody down that crossed his way. He failed miserably. Everybody recognized him. He was a big teddy bear. Although he could turn into a grizzly if someone hurt Morgan or Peter. 

That’s why Morgan loved him. He was there, always, he cheered her up, at least he tried, but he also secured her, as if she was his own. When he saw her, he relaxed and his ‘Happy-smile’ came back. Days were alright, when she spent them with Happy or Rhodey, her mom and last but not least with Steve. 

“How was your math test?” Happy asked her, with an ironic undertone in his voice. Morgan raised an eyebrow, smiled a little and got into the car. Happy shook his head. Morgan was a silent person. That was the only characteristic, she didn’t share with one of her parents.

Neither Tony, nor Pepper could shut up, when the later got the chance to open her mouth with that husband. Morgan was silent most of the time, but she had Tony’s eyes, his smile, his intelligence, his wit. 

She was as organized and ambitious as Pepper, charming and sarcastic as both. But for all he knows when it came to her silence, two plus made one minus. He would never talk to Morgan about this calculation. She would ban him for his maths.

He wished he could take some weight of her shoulders. God knew she deserved it. He could bear anything, but it wouldn’t help. Happy was not what she needed, he was not whom she needed. 

The older she got, the more the adults noticed, that she was perhaps less lacking in a father figure than in someone who understood her intellect and help her with the thousands of thoughts running through her head every day. 

Perhaps, Tony was missing. He always was, but mostly when it came to Morgan. 

He still shuddered when he thought of the day, Captain America asked him to start boxing with Morgan. Something had happened, Cap never told him, but it had shocked the old man and Happy had wondered what still could shock this man. 

Since then, he glanced at Morgan’s arms from time to time, but there were no signs of self-harm. He hoped it would never happen. He hoped his worst nightmare would never happen, Morgan dead with cut pulse veins, Morgan suffering an overdose of whatever she could find, Morgan on a knit… 

He must take his thoughts out of the darkest place of his brain. 

On the same evening, Pepper observed her daughter with growing concern. For hours, Morgan was in the workshop repairing Dummy. Pepper liked the silence of Morgan the less. Unfortunately, the girl seemed to get more silent the more days passed, ever since Tony’s death. 

A part of Pepper and every Avenger died with him, but there was a part of Morgan that… Pepper couldn’t describe it. It was as if the part of Morgan with all her traits of Tony, disappeared with him, while at the same time she seemed to be just like him. Like a ghost.

It was distressing for a mother to watch her daughter like that, lost in her own mind, without a possibility of rescue. Besides, Morgan talked to everybody, except her, at least that was Pepper’s impression, she didn’t know for sure. 

She knew about the problems in school, obviously she did, they called at least once a week, but Morgan’s grades were exceptional. Pepper sighed, but there still appeared a little smile on her face. Of course, her grades were the best. She was a proud mom. Morgan was only 14 years old, finishing high-school next year. 

She probably could already have finished it, but Pepper held her back most of the time. Morgan needed to grow older before going to college. Maybe, that was only because Pepper was afraid, when Morgan was not in her proximity. 

Morgan hated attending school, and she had many reasons to. Pepper never saw any signs of injuries. Morgan never cried, but something definitely was going on, she just couldn’t put her finger on it. 

Pepper had started to dislike the school as well. The teachers always punished her daughter, but she knew her better. She and Tony had raised her well. She was friendly, helpful, politely and most importantly she was intelligent, she wouldn’t pick up fights she couldn’t win. 

Although Tony taught her at a young age, that she shouldn’t put up with anything. No one was allowed to treat her any less than the person she was. She was Morgan Stark. Nobody could take that away. But maybe that was part of the problem, Morgan had adored her father and he just disappeared. Now his name was just a reminder of a life she could have had. 

The woman sighed again, she hoped, prayed for Morgan. She was frightened her daughter had a depression, trauma even… Pepper couldn’t lose her, not her too. She was all she had, all that was left of Tony. And she told him, promised him, that they would be okay. He saved the universe, so it was her task to raise their daughter, to protect her, to make sure the girl was happy, that she wasn’t lacking anything. A little tear dropped out of her eye. Maybe she had failed. 

James Rhodes observed his goddaughter with the same concern. He spent every Friday after school with her. And if there was no alien or robot attack, he would rarely miss their meeting. 

Usually, he tried going out with her, watch a movie, eating ice cream. When she was younger, they would go to a playground, now they did cart, bowling, sometimes even hiking or climbing. 

But the older she got, the more difficult it was for Rhodey to find something she enjoyed. Nowadays, they often stayed at home to watch series or movies, they went into the workshop.   
Morgan briefed him about her new invitations. The only moments she spent smiling. 

Rhodey wanted to show her the new Avengers Compound, allow her to meet some of the new Avengers, but Pepper refused and Rhodey couldn’t blame her. The farther away Morgan was from any of them, the less harm could happen to her. Only Steve was allowed near her daughter, but even a super soldier was just an old man at that age. 

In former times, Morgan had reminded him of the young and brilliant Tony, now she reminded him of the Tony in the aftermath of New York. A man who felt from the sky and woke up as another person. 

The thing was, it seemed worse with Morgan, Tony had tried to cover up his pain with building all the suits, he kept on talking… Morgan built her own prison in her head, and she refused to talk about it, when someone dared to ask her. It hurt to see. She needed help from a professional, someone who knew about trauma and depression, or Tony. She likely needed him more than anything else. 

The girl resembled him so much, from the in- and outside and if he had known about his daughter’s state after his death, he wouldn’t have done it. Rhodey was sure of it. Tony had in fact been a philanthropist. But he had been a Stark too, so there had been some egoism inside of him. The world could have gone down if that meant he would save his daughter, his own blood from any pain.

But he did sacrifice himself. For Peter and Morgan. He made it. They were alive, but Morgan’s world was destroyed at the age of five, but they only noticed when she got older.

Steve adored the girl, like his own kids, who died a long time ago. Some might think it was unusual, that the man didn’t stay close to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but he had always known, he had to help the Avengers after 2023, even as an old man. 

They had been his first family he had in the 21st century. He would never let them down. Mostly, it was Tony who had given him a home and not just a place to stay, although their start was terrible and they had a fallout after Siberia. 

But it had hurt, when 2018 came and he knew the exact moment Morgan was born. He had to force himself to not go to his old friend and advise him to go as far away as possible, to forget about the Avengers, to send off the young Cap. But Steve knew that Tony wouldn’t have done it, he gave everything he had to the Avengers. He really was the world’s best defender. 

Since 29th May 1970, there hadn’t been a day where he didn’t think of visiting Tony. The time the man had been held captured in Afghanistan was the worst and longest 3 months he ever had, even if he knew Tony would make it out.

Now and then he had to remind himself who ruined their friendship in the first place. It was him. And it had been him sending Natasha and Tony to death. He should have known what could happen in Vormir. 

But Tony’s death hurt more, not for Steve, though. After all this pain, all this time, Tony had his family, a little peace he had deserved so much. He gave it up for them. Steve couldn’t believe he once thought Tony was not able to sacrifice himself for the greater good. 

He had never been more mistaken in his life. The billionaire had always made other people believe he was egocentric and narcissistic, while the truth had been that he did everything he could to protect the people he loved. 

Steve should have looked behind that facade and when he did, it was to late. He had judged Tony before even knowing him. Steve didn’t like that kind of people and he himself was one of them. Had been, he was not anymore. At least he hoped that time had actually changed him for the better. 

And when they finally could have been friends, he messed it up once again. Tony had deserved the truth. Steve had been a coward. With his behavior, he didn’t just hurt Tony but Bucky too. The soldier had been angry with him. Bucky had been on Tony’s side. 

“I understand, Steve.” he had told him in Wakanda. “I will never go against you, Stevie. Not in my own mind. But you fucked up bad. I killed his parents, there is no denying. You should have told him.” 

“It was not really you. You knew Howard. You would have never…” 

“Stark is a genius, he would have understood if you had given him the chance. If he would have had the time to think. He saw the video and then me, after years of believing it was an accident… I honestly can’t blame him…” Bucky had looked up at him, hope in his eyes and a smile in his face.  
“Hopefully, one day I can apologize to him. You should be sorry, punk. Now, I have to pray for your place in heaven.” He took Tony and Bucky the chance to talk it out, to get to know each other. Maybe to be friends. How could people think, he was a good person if he did that to his best friends?

Nobody ever told Tony the truth, except for Pepper, Rhodes and Hogan. Everybody else deceived Tony sooner or later. Steve was definitely not the first or last on this list, but he wished he had never appeared on it. His time with Tony was over, and now he lived on borrowed time. But there was Morgan, and he would do anything for her. He owned Tony for everything he had done for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little Angst, a little badass mother Pepper and some support from old Steve.

“Keep me updated, Mike. I want the production of the new phones running before the end of the week.” CEO Pepper Potts said to her best engineer at Stark Industries. 

“It sure will, Boss.” 

“Goodbye.” 

“Bye, Mrs. Stark.” And then she hung up. Just when she wanted to have a look at the contract the lawyers made with a company in Japan, someone knocked at the door. 

“Yes?” It was her assistant Scarlett who entered a moment later. 

“I’m sorry Mrs. Stark, but I got a call from your daughter’s school.” Pepper was certain, for a couple of seconds, she lost the control over her face. 

“It’s Monday, right? I don’t work at the weekends…” 

“It is.” Her assistant confirmed and sounded as devasted as Pepper felt.

“That must be a new record.” Pepper murmured. 

“I’m sorry.” Her assistant clearly didn’t know what to say anymore. She was lucky, the girl was trustful and loyal. Another person would already have gone to the press with all the information she had about Morgan. 

“Delay my meeting to Friday, or whenever I have time… and tell Mr. Rhodes that I can’t make it to our lunch.” 

“Anything else?” She asked when Pepper started packing her purse. 

“Oh, actually, yes. Please call Steve and ask him if he can keep an eye on Morgan for the rest of the day?”  
“Got it.” 

Pepper knew the hallway of the school as good as she knew the meeting rooms of Stark Industries. She knew the room Morgan waited for her, always on the same seat. She knew the secretary, that even once asked her to call her by her first name… 

And there she was again today. The secretary – Mary – nodded with a smile in her direction. Opposite to her, there was Morgan, in the same spot, head town and she was writing on her block. 

Pepper didn’t need to have a look at it. She gave up understanding the codes and equations Morgan wrote when she was seven years old. She wasn’t even sure Morgan did actually any work or if it was just some kind of distraction to keep her head occupied. 

“Hi Honey.” The girl looked up, guilt written upon her face. She looked tired too, and Pepper realized it wasn’t only the lack of sleep but a tiredness that had settled on her. 

She believed she was not good enough, not strong enough, that everything she touched would break down in pieces, that probably no one loved her. Pepper knew that face to well and on that young face she hated it even more. She took the two steps that separated them and crouched down in front of her. “So, tell me, what happened?” 

She gently stroked her check and gave her an encouraging smile. “Miss Rodriguez suspended me for a week.” She admitted. Pepper rolled her eyes. This woman was a real pain in the ass. 

“That’s good to know, but not at all what I asked.” Morgan looked down again and put her arms around herself. 

“Some boys wanted my homework, and they took my bag pack and my money.” Pepper frowned. 

“And why are you suspended?” 

“I used Dad’s watch.” 

“You mean the repulsor?” 

“Yeah…” Her daughter seemed to get even smaller in the seat and tried to hide from her 

“Are you hurt? Did somebody get injured?” 

She shook her head. “I aimed at the floor in front of them.” 

Pepper looked around the room. “Where is your bag?” 

“Miss Rodriguez confiscated it together with the watch.” There was a small tear in the corner of her right eye. Pepper wanted to wipe it away, but Morgan used her sleeve before it could drop out of her eye. “She won’t give it back.” The girl whimpered a little and tried to hide in her jumper. 

“I will get it back for you.” She kissed Morgan’s head and got up. Pepper boiled with rage and with exactly that attitude she knocked on the door of the principal’s office. 

“Yes?” he asked and Pepper entered without any hesitation. Miss Rodriguez was still there. 

“Good afternoon.” Pepper said, trying to not slap the woman across the face. 

“Hello, again, Miss Potts. First time on a Monday, right?” 

“It’s Mrs. Stark, where is my daughters bag pack and her watch?” She ignored the comment, she tried at least. The teacher got up. 

“It’s confiscated, you know what that means?” 

Pepper raised an eye brown. “It means give it back or you will learn what it means to treat a Stark the way you did.” 

“Are you actually threatening me?” Pepper smiled diabolically. 

“I could never!” She gasped shocked, while her eyes were still smiling. “I’m a woman of honor. So, if you please, the bag pack and the watch!” 

“Mrs. Stark, please take a seat. We have to talk.” The principal intervened. Pepper glanced at the man. 

“I’m not sure I want to talk with you anymore. Every time I get a call from you; it’s because Morgan defended herself. She is 14, okay? Her classmates are three years older, what the hell could she possibly do to deserve this treatment?” 

“She is dangerous!” The teacher claimed. Pepper gave her a taste of her best ‘protective mother look’ 

“Oh, you do not want to cross this line, I swear you don’t. My daughter learns within a week, more than you could dream of knowing in your life. She is a treasure! You should be honored to have her in your class. It’s not her fault you incompetent and she has to correct you!” 

“Please, Mrs. Stark just take a seat. A couple of minutes.” Pepper glanced one last time to the teacher before sitting down in front of the principal. He smiled at her, but she couldn’t return it. “We had to confiscate the watch. It’s a weapon…” 

“She could seriously have injured somebody!” Miss Rodriguez interrupted. 

“Can you please shut up? Thanks!” The principal took off his glasses and placed them in front of him. He might be considering of just walking out of the room or maybe changing his job, to be in the military seemed to be less stressful. He should look up at what age he could retire, it was about time…

“She is right, Mrs. Stark. I know Morgan is anything but violent or aggressive, but it is a weapon. She can’t have it in school.” 

“Fine, I will give her another watch, but I still need it back. It’s my husband’s.” 

“I’m sure he won’t miss it.” The teacher told her cold-blooded. Pepper was trying her very best to stay calm, which seemed more and more impossible with every minute that passed. 

“It’s a memento, Mr. Smith, I really need it back. Morgan needs it.” She pleaded into the direction of the principal. When she ignored the teacher, she wasn’t really there. 

Mr. Smith shared a strict look with his teacher. “If you please, Miss Rodriguez.” With a cracked look on her face, the woman opened her bag and gave Pepper the clock. 

“It’s broken.” Pepper realized. 

“That’s how Morgan gave it to me.” 

“She would never destroy it! Someone hit it with a hammer!” She took a deep breath. “I want the bag pack and after that, we will leave, and Morgan won’t come back. She will transfer to another school.” 

“Mrs. Stark, you really thing a transfer in the middle of the year is a good idea?” Mr. Smith asked. 

“I do, yeah.” 

“There is more to it.” He took Morgan’s bag and took some papers out. He searched them and placed one directly in front of Pepper. “You know what that is?” It looked like one of Tony’s plans, like a suit of armor, but it was different… 

“She builds stuff, that’s what she does. It’s a hobby. It’s what her Dad did.” 

“She is building a weapon. That’s what it is. I’m considering of reporting her to the police.” Pepper raised both her eye browns before she started laughing. 

“Okay, we really are done here. First of all, you take away her right to defend herself, you take her stuff and you search it without permission and now you’re doing what? Accusing her of building a weapon, to do what? To do a rampage? And you want to report her to the police because of a draft? You know my husband used to be an Avenger, that her godfather is one, and I fought with them to defeat a mad Titan? Maybe you forgot… I don’t remember that it aired in the news.” She answered sarcastically and was forcing herself to not strangle someone in her to death. She was not sure yet, if it would be Rodriguez or Smith first, their luck. 

“We did not forget. But she is fourteen and we are freed from aliens. It’s more and you know it, she is capable of building it.” 

“Even if. At any point of your reasoning, did the idea arise that she might miss her father and that’s just her way of feeling close to him? Do you know how it feels to lose your father at five years old because he scarified himself for the greater good? For you? Weren’t you one of the unlucky once to fade away?” He nodded shortly to confirm. 

“Morgan had no idea what that means. She waited for him to come back. She had no idea, he wouldn’t come back, when he hugged her for the last time.” She blinked a few times to stop the upcoming tears. 

“And I swear, if he would be here, you wouldn’t dare to talk like this about our daughter. You don’t know her. She is the heritage of Tony Stark and you know what? She will even do better than him. And one day, you will regret what you said.” She stood up, took Morgan’s papers and her bag and walked with a straight head out of the room. 

“Come on, honey, we’re leaving.” 

“Did you get my bag and the watch?” 

“I did, just…” She smiled to the happy face of her daughter. “We’ll talk later…” 

“Why?” The girl frowned. 

“The watch is broken, Honey. But I’m positive you can repair it.” She shook her head multiple times. 

“It won’t be the same…” 

“Come on, let’s go home. You will find a way.”

Morgan didn’t talk on their way home, she didn’t cry either even if it was what Pepper expected. When they arrived home, the girl went down to the workshop without another word. 

With way too much effort for this task, Steve Rogers got out of his car. A smile appeared on his lips, he loved the Stark House. The little home they built near the lake away from the city noise. But the house also reminded him of the fact that there was no Tony and no Natasha and it was here where he sent them to death. 

It was here, where he heard Tony’s voice for the last time. He liked the place a lot less only for the fact that he visited without Tony being there. He knocked on the door, and Pepper opened it a few seconds later. She greeted him happily. “Steve! Thanks so much for coming!” 

Then her face changed into a compassionate smile the moment she saw his walker. He used it for a couple of weeks. Captain America needed to walk with a stick, Tony would have some new nicknames for him but everybody else just pitied him. Bucky and Sam, but mostly Pepper and Morgan. 

The kid looked up to him and she liked him, but she had separation anxiety. Things like that only reminded her of his near death. To leave her would ache the most. His family and friends understood that he could not live forever, but Morgan refused stubbornly to even talk about death in general. She probably believed, it wouldn’t happen if she refused to talk about it. 

God, Steve prayed every night for her well-being, for a good life. He wanted to look down from heaven and see she loved her life and got happy with it.

“You want a coffee? Water?” The woman asked when they entered the kitchen.  
“I’m fine Pepper. Why am I here? Your assistant talked about babysitting, but Pepper this is not the truth, am I right?” 

“Well yes and no.” She started the coffee machine anyways to make herself and her guest a drink, he would need it too. “Morgan is at home. She got suspended for a week and I will start looking for better schools… And I need to go back to the company, but Morgan is not well, I knew she wouldn’t be. I need you to have a look at her.” She rubbed her face. 

“Her math teacher destroyed Tony’s watch and I’m afraid she will have a breakdown.” She put a cup of coffee in front of him and purred some milk in it, she knew exactly how Captain America liked his coffee. 

“You know if you need me, I will always be there. I promised you. I did after Tony’s death and I did when I came back. Call me and I will be there.” She forced a smile on her face but it couldn’t reach her eyes. It didn’t even work correctly on her lips. 

“You know earth will be a darker place without you.” He smiled encouraging. 

“It won’t. The future is bright, Pepper. Great things are waiting for you both. You will just have to look for them.” She nodded and sipped at her coffee. 

“I will have to leave you alone. Morgan is in the workshop. I will be back at six o’clock. You’re welcome to stay for dinner.” 

“Thanks, I will go check on her.”

At first, Steve didn’t even see the girl. She wasn’t in her usual spot. His eyes scanned the room, and he found her in the far-left corner. She looked apathetic, more than usual. It was terrible he knew that.

Slowly he entered the room and was greeted by DUM-E. The robot tried pushing him away from Morgan. “I’m trying to help.” He assured him and silently wondered when it got normal for him to talk to robots. 

DUM-E decided fast enough that Steve was safe and opened the way. He moved carefully, he didn’t want to give her a fright, but he still wanted her to realize that he was present. “Hey, Mo.” He said when he was just some feet away from her. 

She did not look up to him, but he saw the small tears running over her face. She was shaking. Steve didn’t wonder, it was fucking cold in the room. “FRIDAY, can you please turn up the heat?” 

“I will do it right away, Captain Rogers.” 

“Thanks.” The silence returned again and Steve had no idea how to break it. 

“Why does everybody hate me?” Morgan whispered then.

“No one hates you. We love you, Morgan.” 

“The kids in my school do and my teacher, even the principal. I have no friends. I’m never the first choice for anybody.” Steve gave her a handkerchief. 

“What makes you believe that? You are your parents’ first choice, Rhodes’ and Hogan’s. I would always choose you.” She sniffed and wiped her face on her sleeve instead of taking the handkerchief. 

“They are my parents. She is my mom. Rhodey and Happy are my uncles and you’re only there because you feel obligated.” 

“Is that what you actually believe?” He sat down next to her and leaned on the wall. 

“Sometimes.” She admitted. “Often.” He put an arm around your shoulders. 

“If people would take the time to get to know you, they would see what they miss out by not being your friend. They are jealous, it’s not your fault, but that’s society. You are a genius, and they wish to be even half as clever as you. They never will be, so they rather treat you like they hate you. But the truth is, they don’t. You’re everything they want to be.” 

She hugged her legs and placed her head on her knees. “I don’t think anyone would wish to be me. I hate being me.” 

“I wish you could see yourself as the person you really are. How I see you, your mom and your uncles.” 

“My teacher destroyed Dad’s watch.” She opened her hand and showed him the device. It had been hit with a hammer, multiple times. “Why would she do that?” 

“I don’t know Morgan. It was wrong. You can repair it.” 

“Mom said so, but I don’t want to.” 

“Why? You repair everything, why not the watch?” 

“It’s Dad’s. It will never be as it was before…” 

“You know your Dad improved things, he didn’t just invent them. You can upgrade it.” She shook her head. 

“He would be disappointed in me.” He hugged her closer, even if she was not leaning into him. 

“He would never be disappointed in you. I knew him. There’s literally nothing you could do to disappoint him, the same goes for your mom.” 

“I don’t want to go to school.” 

“I’m sure you don’t have to go back to this school. We will find another school. One that you will like, where they will appreciate you like you deserve. I will make sure of it.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention that this story is not meant to be overly realistic. I put things on it that would probably never happen in real life and also Morgan's intellect is not meant to be logical or reasonable. So whatever might happen in the story is supposed to fit at least a little into barriers of the MCU but not in real life.  
> Plus, in my story, Tony never sold the Tower even when they moved to the Avengers Compound.  
> Thanks for reading and enjoy.

Morgan sat silently on her seat. Her legs were rocking back and forth. The floor was empty and even if it was dead silent, she couldn’t hear what her Mom and Rhodey were talking about with the principal. 

Morgan felt jumpy. She sat on her hands to calm herself down, but it didn’t help. Her mind was rushed. It felt weird. She wanted to run at the same time as she wanted to hide and then again, she just wanted to sit here and wait. She wanted to draw, to think and to not think. 

She was a Libra. She once overheard May saying to her mom that it was normal for Morgan to never decide on anything, because she was a Libra. 

‘If that was her problem, May, we would be damn lucky. You’re having a genius at home, but I’m bringing up a girl whose brain is bigger than Tony’s, Einstein’s and Musk, together. Her problem is not being a Libra. Her brain just can’t stop. She can never calm down. She’s nervous, 24h a day seven days a week. This is both a curse and a blessing.’ 

Morgan remembered the words of her mom by heart. She remembered most things people said. Maybe her brain was really just too big for her own good. 

‘I love you 3000’ passed through her mind. She remembered most things her father told her, but now and then she didn’t remember the sound of his voice. She was lucky there were so many videos of him. It hurt watching them but at least she wouldn’t forget his voice. Never. 

She looked back at the door and wondered how long it might take. Maybe she could go to the secretary and ask for a paper or two and a pencil…

“This is highly unusual and you know it, Mrs. Stark. If Morgan would be an unknown person, maybe I could explain… but when the parents find out about a new student being your daughter… People will believe she got the place out of favoritism… I understand the situation, but I can’t, next year maybe…” 

Pepper sighed deeply and Rhodey put his hand on her back. “You don’t understand, Sir. Morgan could go to college right now if she wanted, she is incredible. A treasure. Maybe some voices will claim that it’s favoritism, but she could beat your best student without any preparation. She is a genius on her worst day and out of this world on her best.” Rhodey tried again. 

They had been talking for half an hour; he understood the principal’s point but he had to do it for Morgan. He had to give everything he could. “I have a Master in Aerospace Engineering from the MIT. I was in the Air Force and I was best friend with Tony Stark. I work with Dr. Bruce Banner, and I’m a technical assistant to the Avengers and I assure you, Morgan has to slow down while talking to me. She reads something once and understands. It’s crazy how much space is in her brain. I beg you, Morgan needs this school. She needs a place to fit in.” 

The principal looked over to Pepper. “I do have one last question.” She nodded, still hoping for a change on his decision. “Why was the girl not here from the very beginning? The Townsend Harris High School may still not be enough for her intellect, but the George Burk High? This must be a joke!” 

Pepper bit her lip. “That was completely my fault. I was afraid so I made the wrong choice. The best place for her would be the Philips Academy in Andover. You know it and I do, but I can’t do it because I have to protect her at all costs and I can’t because Tony hated the boarding school. This is my best option.” 

The principal shook his head and got up. “I’m sorry, I know what your husband did for us and I will forever be grateful, if she’s still in high school by next year, please apply… I can’t do it. I’m really sorry.” He held out his hand and the two people in front of him got up and shook the offered hand.

Morgan jumped to her feet when the door opened again. All her papers felt on the floor and she tried to collect them as fast as possible. The principal, Mr. Tiger took two of them and looked at them. “When did you do that?” Morgan swallowed.

“While I waited. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to… I tried to sit still and not bother, but…” Pepper kisser her head. but…”

“I know Honey it’s okay you just worked a little, no harm done.” The principal frowned and turned the paper around. Rhodey smiled proudly at his goddaughter. 

“What is that?” 

“Oh, it’s nanotech.” Morgan said enthusiastically. “My uncle Rhodey had an accident a couple of years ago, my Dad helped him walk again, these are little sensors to help other people with the same kind of injury. It’s just an idea, nothing of worth. I have been working been working on it for a week. I just had a new idea.” 

“It is worth, Mo. Show me later what you've done. I’m sure we can do something with that.” Rhodey reassured her. Not every idea Morgan had directly leaded into a realizable product, especially because they were not affordable for middle-class people, but mostly they could use parts of it for a lot of other things. The principal stared at Morgan. 

“Is there something you built, like from scratch, that I could see?” Morgan thought about the question for a little moment before she pulled a little bracelet from her right arm. Rhodey and Pepper had wondered for weeks what it was for but the girl never told them anything about it. 

“The bracelet detects a panic attack before it starts, like a service dog, it can detect when I’m extremely angsty and it alarms FRIDAY and me… It’s just a little gadget.” 

“FRIDAY?” 

“That’s my Dad’s AI.” The man scratched his beard and looked at her for a little while. 

“What would you like to be when you grow up?” Morgan looked at her Mom and Rhodey. What should she answer? They didn’t prepare her for that question. She was not ready. Should she answer honestly? What would be the best answer? Maybe she would fuck up the whole conversation her Mom had with the man beforehand. The bracelet vibrated in her hand and Morgan tried to calm herself down. She took a couple of deep breaths. 

“Just answer honestly Morgan. Any answer is fine.” Pepper assured her. She looked back up to Mr. Tiger. 

“I don’t know. You want to know what job I want and I don’t know. I would love to be an engineer like my Dad and Rhodey, but one day I’m going to inherit Stark Industries, so maybe I will be a manager like my Mom. But sometimes I think I want to be a doctor or a lawyer. I want to be an Avenger, but I’m not a superhero. In the future, I want to be happy and maybe do every day something else.” She paused a second “Is that a good answer?”

“It is. And you know why?” The principal asked. 

“No, Sir. Why?” 

“Because I actually believe, you could be all of it before even turning 30. You will find your way.” The man looked back up to Pepper. “School starts Monday at 8 am, Mrs. Watson will explain to you, which options are open. She will give you an appointment.” He laughed a little and winked at Morgan. “Welcome to Townsend Harris High School, Miss Stark.”

A week later, Pepper and Morgan moved back to the city. Well, Pepper moved back, for Morgan it was the first time living in the middle of New York. “Why do we have to move, Mom?” She asked when the workers put their last boxes in the penthouse. 

“Your school is too far away, we can still go to the cabin on weekends if you like. We will be able to spend more time together, and with Rhodey and Happy.” 

“And the Avengers.” Morgan grinned. Her mom put an arm around her daughter. 

“Yeah, maybe one day.” She looked around the penthouse and realized the memories of Tony seemed less painful here. They hadn’t lived together for a long-time while in New York. It helped a little. Hopefully, it didn’t hurt Morgan to leave the only place she ever lived with her father. 

“I love you, Morgan. I know life was not kind to you, but don’t ever forget how much I love you, okay? I would do anything to make you happy.” She whispered into her hair and pulled the teenager a little closer. 

“I’m not happy Mom.” 

“I know honey, I’m sorry.” 

“I miss him.” 

“Me too.” 

She sighed and looked out of the window into the skyline in New York, as if just in seconds Tony would show up in one of his suits. But he wouldn’t, she would never see him again. 

All these things happened to them, things she could have never imagined, but Tony still died. Because of some magic. She could not describe it differently. Tony invented time travel but even that could not bring him back. She hugged Morgan even tighter. “We will be better, Morgan. I promise. Come on, I want to show you around and after I will order some pizza.”

It was already late when Pepper finished packing out her clothes. She felt better in the penthouse. Tony had longer lived in the Tower without her here then with her. The memories were not as haunting as in the cabin. 

She didn’t need to get up so early for work and she could spend more time with Morgan. Rhodey and Happy were nearer. And yes, even the fact that they were closer to the Avengers was not inconvenient. 

She walked out of her bedroom and started looking for her daughter. She was nowhere to be found. “If you are looking for your daughter, she is sitting on the platform, Mrs. Stark.”

“Thanks, FRIDAY. She is just sitting, there, right?” 

“As of my opinion, I don’t believe she’s attempting suicide.” Pepper sighed, how far had they come, she was afraid that her daughter would may try to kill herself. She looked out of the window. There was Morgan, sitting lonely with an Iron Man helmet in her hands. She had a blanket on her shoulders. She didn’t plan to come in then. But it was late and cold outside, she’d better send her to her warm bed. 

Silently, she opened the door. “I really hope, you’re listening, Dad. If not, I’m making a fool of me… Is it weird that I hate living and that I wish I was never born? I just don’t believe these are normal thoughts, what do you think?” She paused a moment. “Yeah, I was not really expecting an answer.” She caressed the helmet. 

“I don’t want to die, Dad. I mean, if anything would happen, I would sacrifice myself… But I hate life. I’m never lucky. It’s eating me up… Well, maybe I just wish I was never born. Sorry for that…” She sighed loudly. 

“What do I want to be, how can he ask me something like that? All the teachers did in the new school. I told everybody what they probably wanted to hear. The math teacher believes I want to be an engineer like you. The PE teacher actually believed me, when I told him, I wanted to be an Avenger and the Humanities teacher now thinks I want to be president of the United States.” Morgan sighed. 

“I told them all this shit, while I can barely get up in the morning and rarely fall asleep at night. I’m not thinking of the future. I’m only hoping to make it through a day. It’s unnormal, Dad. I should not have those thoughts. It’s exhausting… I wish you would be here. You would be here for Mom and me… Maybe you are but I can’t see you…” 

Pepper closed the door again. She wanted to run to her daughter, embrace her, tell her how much she’s loved but this was not her place to be. She was talking to her father, later she would have to talk to the others… It needed more than a new school to heal Morgan from her depression.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning:  
> Mentions of suicide attempt, mentions of depression

“Pep, dear Pepper. You know I adore you, absolutely, but why? Why do you do that to me?” Pepper put a huge cup of coffee in front of her best friend. 

“Have I told you, that you’re turning more and more into Tony. Honestly, that right there, Tony 100 percent.” She answered wryly. She was not having it today, she totally did not care about Rhodey’s whines. She hadn’t slept all night. Whatever kept Rhodey awake, it could not be nearly as bad, as what happened in the Stark household last night. 

“Pepper, why do we have this morning meeting? I wanted to meet May.” 

Pepper just raised her eyebrow. “I don’t care Happy.” And she really didn’t. She never put herself before anybody else but this morning, she must. She could not go through this all by herself. Pepper only had the three men sitting in front of her. They were the ones she could trust with this problem. 

Steve just sat there and smiled up to the others. Just for a second, or maybe two – while Rhodey complained – he had closed his eyes, and saw Tony. It took only a second for his brain to form Tony the way Steve didn’t like him the most, but that was clearly the view he saw the most of the genius. 

Sleep deprived, walking around the tower looking for coffee in which he wouldn’t find oil from DUM-E, barely awake, looking as if he would just die any minute, not recognizing the Avengers sitting around and watching him with concern. 

He looked small then, Steve remembered, he was never tall compared to himself or Thor, average probably. But those mornings, he looked tiny… As if he actually wanted to disappear. 

Captain America never found out if behind the appearance of Tony was a psychological reason or if it was just his protectiveness over the man that took over in these moments. Maybe, he should…

“Steve? Are you dead?” Rhodey asked and Steve reopened his eyes.  
“I’m fine.” He answered, and he was, most of the time. Pepper gave him a pitied smile and passed him a tissue. Just then he realized the little tear running out of the corner of his eye.

“Okay, Pepper. Tell us, what happened. You don’t look good, not at all.” He quickly changed the topic. The woman sighed and sat down. She clasped the cup in her hands. She looked exhausted, more than the three men had ever seen her before. 

This was not Pepper Potts. This was a sad shadow of the confident and strong woman they knew and loved. Not even after Tony’s death, she looked so… done. There was no other word to describe it. Pepper was done with everything. She had never given up in her life. Not once, not one time out of the hundred times she believed Tony was death, not when her own life was threatened, not after Tony’s ultimate sacrifice. Now, she was. 

Thoughts rushed through the men’s heads. What did happen? Was she sick, life threatening sick? Would Morgan soon be an orphan? Did the girl do something? Was Morgan herself sick? Was somebody coming after them? 

“I couldn’t keep my promise.” She sobbed and took herself a tissue to dry the tears rushing over her face. “I failed him, I failed myself and most importantly I failed my own daughter. My everything.” 

Rhodey put his hand on her back, looking at her with growing concern. Pepper was exhausted. “Morgan told me yesterday, that she is not happy.” The woman started to explain. “And if that wouldn’t have been the worst, knowing that I failed… that I fucked up the most important task in my life, making Morgan’s life as good as possible, making her happy, I overheard her talking with Tony. And the things she said… She is depressive and….” 

She shook her head multiple times, still not believing what she saw yesterday. She started shaking and the mood in the kitchen got more and more anxious. The men knew that only huge things would make Pepper lose herself in that way. 

Steve wouldn’t even be surprised if the woman would just pass out. Her breathing was uneven, she was pale too. He could even hear her heart beat too fast, but Rhodey grabbed her arm. “Pep, that’s not all, am I right? Come on, tell us. We’re there for you.” 

“I decided to let her sit on the platform, while FRIDAY watched her. I thought she needed some time alone, to talk to Tony. It was not my place to be, right? I couldn’t fall asleep and tried working and then FRIDAY alarmed me. It was already 3 o’clock in the morning… Before FRIDAY could even tell me, what was wrong, I ran to the platform…” She sobbed. “And…” She started crying and could not find her voice anymore. Rhodey put an arm around her, comforting her. But the attack just wouldn’t stop. 

“FRIDAY, can you tell us what happened?” Steve asked the AI. 

“As you wish Captain. I alarmed Mrs. Stark because I saw Miss Stark standing at the edge of the platform. She had looked down multiple times, she cried and seemed to not be clear-headed. I could not be a hundred percent sure of her well-being. I alarmed Mrs. Stark, who pulled her away.” The AI stopped for a moment as if she was considering exactly what she should say next. “In my opinion Mrs. Stark arrived just in time.” 

Pepper let out another heartbreaking sob. And it really broke the men’s hearts. Steve sat quietly staring into space. Happy started crying himself and Rhodes failed miserably in trying to calm Pepper down, while he lost his control himself. 

“And then? What did you do?” Happy asked to break the silence that had settled among them for a couple of minutes. 

“I dragged her inside.” Pepper said with a husky voice. “Put her into my bed and didn’t leave her. She did not sleep, so neither did I.” 

“Where is she now?” 

“In the workshop, she didn’t say a word to me. Not in the night, not in the morning. I have two security guys watching her, and DUM-E.” She smiled for a millisecond before she yet started to cry again. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t watch her like this. She will kill herself, if she gets a chance. She wouldn’t step away if a car came into her direction.” 

“She needs a therapist.” Happy proposed. 

“The question is who? You do know her, right? She would literally destroy any of them without much effort.” Steve interjected. And he was surely not wrong. Her intellect was amazing, but she also knew how to use it. If she would be forced into a therapy, she would do anything to get out of it. If it was needed, she could probably turn their brains into mud. 

At the end she was Tony’s daughter and if it was important enough for herself she would probably fight without boundaries. “He’s not wrong.” Pepper agreed. 

“I may have someone.” Rhodey said. “He is a military guy, a good guy. I wanted Tony to see him. He gets the worst cases of PTSD, Wilson once worked with him.” 

“You want her to go to a military therapist?” Pepper gasped. 

This could just not be her life. She was having the worst nightmare of her life. All this never happened. There were no Thanos, no time heist, no stupid infinity stones. No, it never happened. Her brain was just fucked up a little. 

Any second now, she would wake up next to Tony, while little baby Morgan was laying in between them, fast asleep, like always. Tony put the baby between them, every night, because it calmed him and Morgan down. 

Usually, he put his hand on the baby, feeling her breath, her heartbeat. He had been doing so much better since Morgan’s birth. No more anxiety attacks, fewer nightmares. He smiled, a lot more than ever before. 

Just in seconds, Tony would shake her awake. She would explain to him that she was having a nightmare and tell him not to worry and to go back to sleep. She believed it. There was no other explanation. Everything would be fine with her little family. She must only open her eyes.

“Yes, Pep. But he’s a good choice, believe me. And I’m positive that he is immune against her. More than we are.” She was not asleep then. This was her reality. Soon she would bury her daughter next to her husband. In that case, she could just take a bullet through her head and follow them. 

“It’s worth a try, what do you think?” Happy agreed with Rhodey. 

“Whatever you believe will work.” She answered tiredly. 

“Maybe you should get some sleep? What do you think? I will call the therapist and maybe Steve can go watch over Morgan for a while. Happy, you can stay with Pepper, right?” 

“Sure, come on. Bed is a good idea.” Pepper didn’t even complain anymore. Rhodey shared a look with Steve. They knew this would probably be the most difficult mission they ever had.

Steve nodded at the two men standing silently in the corners of the workshop. He sat down in front of Morgan. She didn’t even acknowledge him. Usually, she would smile up at him, be happy to see her ‘Favorite Steve’. He knew, she loved him as much as she loved Rhodey and Happy. But right now, he was not worth a smile. 

She was not even working, just sitting there and staring down at her hands. Steve looked back to the two bodyguards. “You two go and have breakfast, yeah? I have everything under control. Mrs. Stark is informed.” 

The men nodded shortly and left the old Captain America with the girl. “Better atmosphere, right?” Cap laughed forced. She still did not look at him. He sighed deeply and decided he needed to talk before she would even dare to open up to him. It was time for a little Cap story, even if it was not his favorite one. 

“Believe me, Morgan. I understand. I really do. So, listen.” He folded his hands to not let the girl see they were shaking. This memory still shocked him after all the time that had passed. 

“After I lost Bucky… I could have left the plane that put me down, you know? When I think back, I do know there were other options… But I didn’t want to think about them. I had lost my mom. My dad had been dead for years and my brother, Bucky, I know you don’t want to hear anything about him, but then I lost him too. I saw him falling. Every night in my sleep I saw it over and over again. I could never grab his hand…” Morgan didn’t give him any sign if she was actually listening.

“In my dreams he had died a hundred times. So, in that plane I decided, that I didn’t care. I did not commit suicide, but I was not running away from death, you know? I wanted my dance with Peggy. I really did. I loved her, but at the same time I was still that tiny boy from Brooklyn no woman ever looked twice at. Bucky was always with me, so I believed sooner or later I would lose her too.”

He shrugged, not that she was looking at him. “I chose sooner to be with Bucky. Imagine, how I felt when I woke up, Peggy being old and having dementia, not even Howard there or the other guys from the commando. It was awful, I can tell you, and then this damn god Loki…” 

He stopped his story when she looked up at him for the first time. Her eyes were watery, red. She was just as pale as Pepper. Big backs under and over her eyes, prove of no sleep and crying for hours. “I felt free.” She said silently, voice some octaves deeper than usually. 

He stared into her eyes. “Did you?” 

She nodded. “I liked it.” 

“I’m positive that you would have regretted it the second you jumped. It takes some seconds before you land on the street. The tower is very high, Morgan.” He had to be purely honest with her. She needed to understand, that this was not the right way. 

“I don’t think so.” She answered. 

“Believe a man that has lived more than 100 years. When I woke up, I felt like shit. No doubt there. But see what life I got, I met all these people, your father, Natasha. Bruce and Clint, I met Thor, I mean this guy is more legend than Captain America will ever be. I met Sam, and found my best friend back. I met you… “

If I had died in the ice, I would have never got the chance to have this life.” Morgan took a deep breath and Steve mentally prepared himself for the storm coming into his direction. 

“You went back in time. It’s nearly the same! Don’t bullshit me, Cap. You couldn’t take it anymore after Thanos. You lost too much, so you went back. Can you really blame me?! Stop being such a hypocrite. I can see through it.” 

Without the voice and the long hair, Steve could nearly see Tony in front of him. Sadly, it was not the sweet picture of the morning grouch Tony, but the one he saw back in 2016 in Siberia. The face that was filled with anger, grief, sadness, with watery eyes that looked at Steve with will to hurt somebody. Morgan had that face to, only her reasons where slightly different. 

“No, I couldn’t but you know what? If I knew all these things beforehand, I still would have chosen this life. I don’t regret it for a second, even with all this pain, the regrets and heartbreak… it was worth living through it. Because at the end, there is always light Mo. Always. But you have to find it. There’s still so much waiting for you, don’t you realize that the doors to the world are right in front of you? You’re living a privileged life, don’t waste it.” 

The sentence hadn’t even been out of his mouth for a second before he knew that he fucked up. Why would he say this? She did have a privileged life but it came with too much loss and pain for a girl her age. Pure range, maybe even hate was thrown at him through her eyes. 

“You have no idea about my life, Rogers! You don’t know me! Nobody knows how it feels to be the prisoner of your brain. When you just want to shut it off. Just want to escape your thoughts. Nothing is waiting for me, Cap! And I never choose to be a Stark, to be the daughter of good damn Iron Man, to be thrown in a world that was meant to be changed rather sooner than later. My life is miserable and I wish I was never born!” 

Steve tried to not be hurt by the words coming out of the mouth of a fourteen-year-old. A fourteen-year-old, he loved like a father loved his children. “How, Morgan? How can you be so clever and say things like that? I know it’s hart. That’s life you know. You have to play the cards you were given. And honey, you were given this life because you’re strong enough to live it. I know, you don’t see it right now, it will take time. But if you like it or not, all this was meant to be. It’s hard and not fair.”  
He made a small dramatic pause, he only made it to see if there were emotions coming up, but he still met nothing but indifference.

“You feel as if it was not worth it, that nothing you do really matters and whatever happens, you’re always the loser. But it’s not true. You are having a hard time. We know that. We try to help as much as we can. Your mother does, only for her sake, Morgan, try a little more, a little longer and a little harder and I can promise you, I swear, you will find happiness. One day you will look back, and will know why it was the right choice to not give up.” 

He sighed and looked into her fawn eyes. The storm was over, but now he met a kind of indifference he had never seen before. “The truth is, you don’t have to do it for your mom, that’s what you thought right? You wanted me to shut up, because only living for her sake, is not how it’s supposed to be, isn’t it?” 

He nodded. “True, but for now, it’s another point on the long list of reasons why Morgan Stark’s life should not end in the near future. You are so loved Morgan; the world would be a much darker place without you. And whatever voice in your head tells you to give up, shut it off. I know you can, try to concentrate on the positive things happening around you, even if it’s just small things. Just please don’t give up.” Captain America pleaded. 

He had promised Tony at his grave to do his best to protect Morgan and in this case, she needed protection from herself. He was not sure he could win this fight, but it would be his last and he was ready to give it his last power.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of conversations in that Chapter and two hints for following OC's.

For the first time in two weeks, Morgan woke up and felt… Better. She was not happy, but the voice in her head had silenced a little. Nothing special had happened. Well, there were some changes, but after what had happened that night, she wasn’t really surprised. 

Steve had given her a couple of monologues that day. Every second of it, Morgan wanted to punch him and shut him up that way, because he could not know how she felt. Steve never carried so much pain. Only because he was old man, she restraint herself from breaking his jaw. And because she would have probably broken her fingers.

Morgan regretted what she had thought and said the day after. Steve had been through a lot himself. He had seen things she could never even dream of. He lost family and friends. Steve saw his wife dying twice and lost already all his children and even some grand-children. Life must feel like raw pain some days, when you’re a super soldier. 

She did not apologize to him. She wanted to, but when they saw each other the next time two days later, he didn’t give her a chance to say something. Steve hugged her, held her close and told her that it was alright. She had cried a lot that day. 

Morgan had in general cried a lot the past weeks. Some days more, some less. She wasn’t in school, which director Tiger did not like, but she overheard a telephone call between him and her mom. He would get over it. Morgan worked from home and since she was a genius, it wasn’t really a big deal. Mr. Tiger was just concerned about her special treatment getting him into problems.

The biggest change in the last two weeks were her constant followers, that’s how she called them anyways. They were bodyguards. The only time, she was alone was at night, while FRIDAY watched. 

Sometimes, she was alone with her mom or Happy and Steve, but mostly one of the ‘James Bond’ kind of guys was in the corner of her room. She didn’t exactly hate them, but she didn’t like them either. They were just doing their job, and Morgan understood why they had to do it, didn’t change that she’d rather been alone, when she was not feeling well.

But Steve had been right, she couldn’t do that to her mom. It would kill her. So, she tried. Morgan forced herself out of bed, every morning at eight o’clock, she brushed her teeth, she put on fresh cloths and took regularly a shower. It took a lot of effort, but she started getting used to her daily plan. It helped her through every minute of her life. The more things were planned out, the less time she had to reconsider and let her head wander. 

Every morning, she had breakfast with her Mom, and they talked, well they tried. Pepper was still in shook and Morgan didn’t blame her. Sometimes they would put on the radio or TV to not sit there in silence or to find a subject to talk about. Morgan tried and so did Pepper. They had a silent agreement and right now, it was working out just fine.

She did her homework and sometimes she was allowed to be in the workshop. Happy had lunch with her every day and spent some afternoons with her. Sometimes just eating ice cream, most days, he would box with her. He tried his best to keep her occupied during every second of her day. It came with another advantage; the more Morgan was exhausted, the easier she felt asleep at night.

On one Sunday he had done a Harry Potter marathon with her and Peter. Well, he fell asleep after the third movie, but it’s the thought that counts. Peter had been a great company too. It was easier to be around him than the other adults. He was over twenty now, but he seemed to understand her pain in another way than her family.

Some afternoons, Steve showed up and they played games, or she just did her homework while he would draw something. He usually stayed for dinner, which made it easier to have a conversation with her mom. They both felt more at ease with Steve around them to coordinate the conversations.

Rhodey was the one she saw the least, what meant not at all since that morning. He said he had a lot of work. Morgan wasn’t angry at him, even if she knew that most times it was just an excuse to not see her. There were no major treats and enough Avengers to handle the small ones. He worked for SI of course, but he was best friends with the CEO, so he could definitely get out of it. 

The thing is, Morgan knew why he was avoiding her, well she had a minor idea. She just never imagined before, that it would hurt Rhodey so much if she would end her life. Of course, he would be sad, right? But he seemed way more hurt then her mom and his behavior was just completely off. She did not know her uncle like that.

Morgan asked Steve one day, why it seemed to have hurt Rhodey the most. Steve had looked up from his drawing. “Shouldn’t you do your homework?” 

“I finished it an hour ago.” 

Steve frowned. “Back at brooding then?”

She nodded. “Can’t help it, not all my bad habits will just disappear.” She tried to explain before there would be a major discussion about her constant overthinking. 

“I know.” He simply answered and put the drawing away and locked eyes with her. “Maybe you should ask Rhodey about it?” He came back to the present subject.

She shook her head. “He’s never there, I haven’t seen him since that morning. The only information I have, I had to force out of Happy. And I mean it, I forced him to tell me.” 

Steve grinned with his old but comforting smile. “You own a phone, right? You have even an AI, I’m sure FRIDAY would be happy to help.” 

“I’m always at your service, Miss Stark.” The AI confirmed.

Morgan sighed. “You’re a traitor.” She said while smiling a little. “Please, Steve… Give me a hint.” He folded his hands and thought about his answer for a little while. 

“I’m not sure Morgan… But if I had to guess.” He took a deep breath, and she could see he was feeling quite uncomfortable to talk to her about it. 

“See, I lost all of my children, I do know what I talk about. And I can tell you, there’s nothing in the world hurting more than burying your own child. Mine were old, I knew they would die soon, I could prepare but even when my last son died, it hurt the same as with the first. And I was not prepared for the pain. He was 85 years old and very sick…” 

Steve shook his head and wiped away two little tears that ran over his cheeks. “I felt on my knees before his grave and I cried like a baby… As I said, nothing hurts so much.” Morgan saw how much Steve tried to keep his posture in front of her.

She stared back at him and waited patiently for Steve to come to his point. He usually didn’t talk about his family with her, not often. He probably believed it would hurt her, but she was actually curious about Captain Americas kids. Two girls and two boys and that was nearly all she knew. 

“When your mom told us what had happened, I could see the same pain in your uncle’s eyes, that I had felt all these years ago… I think, in one moment of his life Rhodey started caring for you as if you were his daughter, but I think he didn’t realize till that morning. He felt like a father that failed and a father that could have lost his child. Not to forget, that he feels guilty. Him, like every one of us, promised your father to take care of you, and as you know we do feel we did some things wrong along the way…” 

Morgan opened her mouth to protest loudly against the accusations Captain America was making. He lifted his hand, and she shut her mouth before saying anything. “I know you don’t blame us, but you were five years old and we forget to think about all possibilities… That maybe you were as special as your Dad and that you needed more than loving people around you.” 

He looked deep in her brown eyes with the golden sprinkles. God, they were exactly as Tony’s, it shook Steve every time he realized the same fact over and over again. “We have to take the blame, and we will live with it, what I actually wanted to end with…” He shook his head. 

“It might sound weird to you, but since you’re a genius, you will probably understand. Your uncle feels guilty because of two reasons. Reason one being, that he failed his promise and you’re hurt because of it. Number two being much worse.”

Morgan tried her hardest to stay patient, but this was not really her strength. The moment she was ready to scream at Steve to hurry up, he finally came to his point. “He realized how he felt about you, and he hates it because he never wanted to replace your father. He feels as if he took you away. He hates that he can be with you, see all the great things happening and your father can’t. He loves you, but he is conflicted about it. Do you understand me?” 

Morgan nodded. “I do, but it’s not true, you know? I love you, and Rhodey and Happy. I know how much you do for me, but my Dad will always be my Dad. Nobody will ever replace him. I never felt as if Rhodey would try to, though. I can tell the difference. No need to feel guilty.” 

Steve smiled. “Maybe you need to tell him that, he probably believes you more than himself.” 

“Well he has to show up for this.” Steve smiled and took his pencil and his sketch pad. 

“I’m positive, he will show up eventually.” 

And Steve had been right, as usual. 

Today was the day. Yesterday, he had called her mom and told her he would come over to do something with Morgan. She was relieved that she could finally tell him what he needed to know. “You seem excited.” Pepper told her during breakfast. 

And Morgan could smile, a true and honest smile. “I am, I missed Rhodey.” 

Her mother nodded. “I know you did, and he feels sorry.” She took a sip of her juice. 

“No need. I understand.” For a moment she watched her mom silently, and the woman raised an eyebrow at her. “Maybe it’s also about time you’re being honest with me, mom.” 

“What about?” She asked bewildered. 

“Colonel Rhodes arrived at the Tower and will be in the penthouse shortly.” FRIDAY announced. Morgan jumped up and put on her jacket. 

“Mark.” Morgan answered. “I really don’t know why you kept him from me…” She was a little disappointed in her mom. First, she didn’t trust her and second, her mother actually believed she could keep it a secret from her. “You’re going to see him now, right?” Pepper only nodded, still in shook how Morgan could have found out that she was seeing someone. Well, actually they were already together, for quite some time. “Say, hi then.” 

The elevator doors opened and Rhodey came out. He smiled brightly at her. “Hi Genius.” He greeted her, and Morgan took two steps to him to hug him closely. “How you’re doing?” He asked after he kissed her head. 

“Better. I missed you.” 

He hugged her tighter. “Missed you too, Mo.” 

“Hello James.” Pepper laughed a little. 

“Ouch, I did something wrong when this name comes up.” He loosed the hug with his goddaughter. 

“Well, yes.” Pepper smiled. “Took you long enough.” He embraced Pepper too. 

“I know, I will make it up to you two.” 

“You want a coffee?” 

“No, thanks. We gotta go. Come on, Mo.” 

Morgan waved at her mom. “We can talk later.” And the doors of the elevator closed behind the two. 

“Did you two fight?” Rhodey asked on their way down. 

“No, I just told Mom that I know about Mark.” 

Rhodey scratched his head. “Sorry.” 

“Not your fault, she should have told me.” She looked up at him and sighed deeply. “She doesn’t actually believe, I would be angry right? Dad died nearly 10 years ago. I don’t expect her to be alone forever, quite the contrary, I want her to be happy.” 

Rhodey nodded. “You’re great, Morgan. The best.” The elevator stopped and after they left the lobby. They climbed into his car that was parked right in front of the building in the none parking area. Privilege when you’re a shareholder of Stark Industries and best friends with their owner.

“So where are we going?” She asked after fastening her seatbelt. 

“I’m not sure you will like it.” 

She swallowed. “So, no adventure tour with Rhodey and Morgan?” 

He shook his head. “Not today.” He started the car, and Morgan soon realized they were driving to Brooklyn. “Maybe another day.”

“Please tell me.” She begged. 

“I’m taking you to a therapist.” Morgan let out a breath, she didn’t realize she had been holding. She was surprised by herself, that she actually had been nervous about what Rhodey had planned. She knew beforehand that it wouldn’t be a fun trip. 

“Okay.” She answered after thinking for a minute about it. That was probably alright, good even. She wasn’t a big fan of the idea, but if it could help, she would do it. And she was relieved nobody would put her into psychiatry, well till now nobody had bought that up.

“Just, okay?” Rhodey asked surprised. 

“I’m not always a pain in the ass.” Morgan answered with an ironic undertone in her voice, knowing to well that she was exactly that, a pain in the ass. 

“You’re never, Morgan. Don’t ever say that again.” He said strictly. 

“Do you think we have a little time, before the appointment? I need to talk to you.” Morgan fast changed the subject, because the discussion that would come, wouldn’t lead them into something useful or productive. And certainly, they wouldn’t never share the same view on that point. 

Rhodey nodded. “We sure have, he’s a friend of mine, he said we can come any time today.” 

“Great.” She responded and stayed silent until they arrived at their destination.

Rhodey parked the car on a big underground parking lot. “So, what do you have to say?” Her uncle turned around and smiled at her. He didn’t fool her, though. He was concerned, scared maybe. His eyes were flickering nervously, and he scratched his hand multiple times. He really was not himself these days. That was probably her fault too. 

“I’m sorry you know?” She started a conversation, she never thought she would have. 

“What for?” He asked in surprise. 

“I knew it would hurt mom and you too… I just didn’t think it would hurt you so much.” 

He sighed and in the movement a tear dropped out of his eyes. “You don’t understand. We don’t need…” 

“I do, Rhodey.” She interrupted him fast. “I want… I need you to know, that you don’t have to hide your feelings. You were always there for me, like a father.” When she took that word in her mouth, the man flinched and some more tears dropped out of his eyes. “Rhodey, please stop to feel guilty, it’s nothing bad. I know you don’t want to replace, Dad, Tony. You were his best friend…” 

She sighed. “Stop giving yourself such a hard time, I can literally read it in your eyes. You are the best godfather anybody could ask for. You are my godfather, which makes you some kind of father. He wanted you to be my godfather so that if anything would happen to him or mom, I would still have a family, somebody that would take care of me.” 

She squeezed his shoulder, smiling tenderly up to him. “You’re doing a phenomenal job, Rhodey. He chose wise and he knew what a great father you would be, if it would be necessary at any point. So, neither him nor me would take that away from you. I’m sure he’s more than happy I have people looking after me. Let’s be honest; I wouldn’t be here anymore without you…” 

“I mean mom was there. When that happened, but I do mean the last years… I’m not sure what would have been when I hadn’t had you. And this right now, bringing me to a therapist… it just shows how much you care for me and love me. And I love you too Rhodey. You are like a father to me and I like it.”

“It’s wrong Morgan, sometime in the past years, I started to feel like your father. It’s there inside me, longer ago than Tony had the chance to be your father, who he is, only him. I hate that. It was not meant to be like this. I acted like your father. Maybe because of me, you will never be as you should have been…” 

Morgan shook her head. “Stop that bullshit, Rhodey!” She raised her voice. “Of course, I’m not the same person, but that’s nowhere your fault.” She declared a little calmer. “The day he died, was the day that destiny decided, I would be different than everybody wished for. That’s not necessarily a bad thing in every way, you know?” 

She leaned back in her seat. “Don’t forget, how often you tell me how much alike Dad and I are.” She sighed and turned her head to smile at him. “He will always be a part of me, as he will be of you. It’s a good thing. You are not replacing him, in fact the more time I spend with you, the more I get to know him, alright? Please stop it. I can’t see you like this. I don’t want to miss out on my godfather again.” 

“Your wish is my command.” He whispered.

“I know you miss him too. I only had him five years, which is terrible but you had him a lot longer, you went through thick and thin… It must be harder for you than it was ever for me.”

He turned to look her in the eyes and shook his head. He had been crying for a while. But now he was trying to bring up a more or less happy face. He pulled her into a hug. He wasn’t completely convinced, that what he was feeling, was right but if it was okay for Morgan, he would learn to accept it the way it is. Tony would always be irreplaceable, but Morgan still needed someone that would take care of her the way only a father could.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really divided when it comes to this chapter, part of me likes it a lot and another only tolerates it because it lays the foundations for the next chapter.
> 
> TRIGGER Warning: Talks about suicide and suicide attempts, psychotherapy.
> 
> PS: I still hope you enjoy it.

“So, you’re coming up with me?” Morgan asked, after her uncle had stopped crying. It had taken him a little while, which wasn’t a problem for Morgan, she always had been better at helping other people than herself.

He shook his head once. “I talked to him, your mom and Steve did. Your turn, he is there for you and only you. Take your time. I’m waiting here and maybe after we go and have some ice cream?” 

She smiled. “Sounds like a plan, you know I’m going to force some information about Mark out of you?” 

He let out a dry laugh. “I’m disappointed, thought you knew already his whole résumé.” 

Laughing she got out of the door. “I do, I need something about his character. I need to know if I need to kill him.” She shut the door and walked away. Rhodey kept on laughing, luckily, he knew this kind of humor to well. 

Morgan waited patiently in the waiting room. She was alone, the secretary let her in but in this room, there was only her. Alone with her head. She had been alright with the idea of seeing a therapist, really anything was worth a try at that point, but now she started to doubt that.

She was fourteen years old, how big could her problems probably be? She was acting ridiculous right? Why hadn’t she ever thought about that? Her problems were minor compared to others. Just now after talking to Rhodey, she had realized what he lost, what her mom lost, Steve… What all these people had lost and went through back in 2018. And they weren’t acting like the brat she was.

“You must be Morgan.” She looked up to the door she had come through a couple of minutes ago. She saw a middle-aged black man. He was tall, very tall even. He was broad too, more or less ‘Steve broad’. Well, before he got ancient. He smiled down at her. She decided that she liked him. He seemed to have a calming presence. 

“That was an easy guess, since I’m your only client today.” She smiled back. 

He nodded. “You wanna come in, and we have a little talk?” 

“Don’t think I have a choice.” She whispered to herself, while getting up.

He stopped in his movements. “You do. There’s never only one choice. If you don’t feel like you wanna do it, your free to go…” He lazily put his hands in the pockets of his pants, looking a moment in silence at her. “My door is always open, for everybody.”

“Well, let’s see how it goes, and I will decide how competent you are.” 

“I see, like father like daughter.” He laughed and let her to his room. “Take a seat.” He said and Morgan chose the armchair the closest to the door.

He took the seat opposite from her. He pulled out a notebook and a pen, looking and her without saying anything. He did that for maybe a half minute, before Morgan lost it.

“I’m not patient, anything but.” She claimed. “You can note that. And I’m not dumb, I know what you’re trying to do.” 

“What am I trying to do?” 

“Getting me to talk to you first. So, congratulations, your first step succeeded. But I’m not going to spill just anything to you. You will need something else for that.”

“Well, good. You want to go slow or just straight forward?” 

She raised an eyebrow. “Who do you think you’re talking with?”

“My first impression?” He laughed. “From what I heard, from what I read, and what I saw the last minutes. I would say I see a young teenager that has the potential to reach the top but fails to accept herself the way she is. Someone that rather would herself be rolled over by a train than ask for help. You believe you don’t deserve help. You don’t have the right to feel angry, sad about what happened to you…” He shook his head. “I can tell you. It’s not true but you don’t believe other people, so you definitely won’t believe me. I’m here to help you to find the solution yourself.”

“Straight forward.” She answered his question, totally trying to ignore how well he could read her. Maybe she had never been as good at hiding her feeling as she believed she was. Maybe that’s why people pitied her, because everybody had seen her deepest feelings she tried so hard to hide away.

“Good choice. First question, why did you attempt suicide?” 

She sighed. He really was straight forward. But it was the reason she sat here, right? If that wouldn’t had happened, she may could have fooled her family a little longer, maybe long enough to just disappear to college and then decide if it was still worth it. She was disgusted by herself to even think that.

“I don’t know.” She answered honestly. “Felt right in that moment. I thought feeling nothing was better than feeling pain and sadness, day in and day out. Before you say anything. I know that this is not a solution, maybe for me but not for anybody else.”

He nodded, while writing on his notebook. “When you think about your future, what do you wish for?” He went along with his questions without talking further into it. That was weird. Wasn’t he supposed to tell her, no it wasn’t a solution for her either? 

“Well, since I’m an only child, I will probably take over Stark Industries. I will be an engineer and CEO, making money, travelling, those things. And since anybody believes I’m just like my Dad, I will probably be single forever and if at one point I will find love, I will die. I ran the numbers, it seems to run in the family, being killed by mad men… or aliens.”

“I did not ask what you expected to happen and what’s most likely, but what do you want?” 

Morgan frowned. Was Rhodey sure about that guy? He sure as hell didn’t seem so competent right now… She sighed, looking around the room. Was it actually worth it? Cause all this seemed super weird and useless right now. “I don’t see anything. I don’t have any wishes for my future. When I think about it, I see black. I’m not looking forward to it.”

“So, would you say you’re nostalgic?” 

She snored. “If you want to name it like that. Probably, what am I supposed to look forward? One day, I will be alone. Steve’s not going to see another year. Mom and Rhodey are in their fifty’s, Happy is even older. They’re all I have. You’re probably not surprised to hear that I’m not the most popular kid in school.”

“You think so? I mean that you will be all alone at one point?” He asked again. 

She swallowed and nodded. She had tried to avoid those thoughts, but it was true. She was afraid of the future, there was nothing waiting for her. What would happen to her if she was left alone? All family gone. She wouldn’t survive that. It would be for the best to just get killed then.

“Rather end it before?” He said and Morgan was not sure if he really asked it or if it was just a rhetorical question. “That’s the course of life you know? People have to go, especially if they’re over a hundred years old. But there’s still a lot of time before your family will have to go.” He went on, and Morgan was relieved he didn’t actually want to hear an answer.

“Yeah? Are you sure about that?” She swallowed. “I don’t wanna play that card, but my father died when I was five. My godfather is an Avenger. My mother is the face of one of the biggest companies in the world… Her name is probably in multiple death lists.” 

“It’s true. But you’re forgetting one thing.” He put down his notebook, looking her straight in the eyes. “They’re here now. Is it worth your time thinking of the possibilities? Of all these maybes? You’re either living in the past or thinking that in the future you’re going to be alone. You know what you’re missing out?” 

She nodded. She maybe was not at her best mentally, but that still did nothing to her intelligence. “I knew that before. But I can’t just tell my head to stop that.” 

“You sure can.” 

She scoffed. “Do you tell that all the people coming into your lovely room.” She asked sarcastically. 

“You don’t like my room?” 

“Well, it’s a little to clean maybe. I mean I know Steve and Rhodey, both military guys, both very accurate, especially Steve but you even put your binders in alphabetic and color order. How do you even do that? What if there are a lot of patients coming in with a name that starts with D, but your blue binder is full, but the purple one starts with E. What do you do then?” 

She looked away from his bookshelf, right into his brown eyes. 

“I buy a new blue binder.” He answered starring back at her eyes.

“No, you must be doing that job for a long time, but there isn’t one color twice. These aren’t your patients’ files, right? Course not… You wouldn’t keep them in open space.” 

“You’re the daughter of Sherlock or Stark?” 

She shrugged. “Well, biologically it’s Stark, well I’m 98% sure about that. But, if it was a rhetorical question then I would say, maybe both? They have some treats in common. Both really egoistic, narcissists, a lot of sarcasm in the mix, drug and alcohol backstories. Well, Sherlock lived in another century but he sure as hell was ahead of his time as was my Dad. Then you could say, that Sherlock was just a fictional character but who knows if the world we’re living in is real?” 

The moment her head wanted to jump on talking about the one timeline they were living in out of countless others that exist, she could stop herself from spilling a detail the Avengers never wanted to be public knowledge. They also didn’t want her to know, but well how could they do that with the kid that’s just as intelligent as her father who was the one to invent the time travel.

Her thoughts jumped back to the now. Dr. Jackson. That was his name. Nobody told her, but she saw it on a spot of the doorbell. He was still staring at her. “I’m speechless.” He said.

And in fact, both stayed silent for a while. 

“You do realize that we were just talking about your future, and you started talking about my binders? And then you start talking about…” He stopped mid-sentence and straightened his posture. “I think we found the cause of your mental health problems.” 

“Oh, that was why you asked those questions? I could have told you. It’s my brain. Keeps on racing all day long, it never needs a break. Thinking about everything and rarely forgetting anything can lead to craziness. Proof number one sitting right here.”

He leaned back on his seat. Baffled about the girl in front of him. He knew she would be the most difficult case he ever had. Rhodes had warned him and god, Mrs. Stark had. Captain America himself did, although he was not allowed to say that he was still alive… but after all that he only now saw the bigger picture. She was a lost case, well nearly.

“That’s the moment you tell me you can’t help me, which is fine.” She smiled even. 

“No.” He intervened. “I mean it will be tough, obviously we cannot shut off your brain but there are certainly ways to let you accept life the way it is, you know what I mean?” 

Morgan nodded once. She wouldn’t destroy the poor man’s hope by being herself. She didn’t really believe there was any way to stop her pain but she was certainly ready to face hell as long as her family was there. She would not hurt them like this ever again.

“You wanna talk about it?” Rhodey asked, sitting opposite of her in his favorite ice cream parlor in Manhattan. She licked on her chocolate flavored ice. Weird how she always picked chocolate, boring though, she should try something else next time. Then again, better not.   
They completely forgot to put her fear of change on the list of things she suffered, she couldn’t even change her ice cream flavor.

“Wow, I really love talking to myself.” She looked up to Rhodey. He smiled, but more out of pity, than anything else. She knew his different expressions. “You zoned out again, what were you thinking?” 

“Ice cream flavor, my phobias, Dr. Jackson, I landed back on our conversation.” 

“You don’t call that a conversation, but hey, no hard feelings. I will ask again, you want to talk about it, or do you rather keep it to yourself?”

“He’s nice. We talked, he’s very organized, like crazy… Although I still haven’t found out what he keeps in those binders…” 

Rhodey didn’t even ask what she was talking about. “Anything else you wanna share?” 

“Mh… I think they should do a study about the possibility of inheriting mental health issues. I would be a good test person, well they couldn’t test Dad anymore but you know what I mean.” 

Rhodey finished his ice-cream. “What did he say?” He asked again. She really couldn’t focus on him since she came back to his car where he had waited.

“Well, his diagnose is not yet finished but as a first he said I had PTSD, depression, separation anxiety, social anxiety and – but that we all knew already – I’m suicidal.” 

“I wish I could say that I’m surprised or shocked but at that point I’m not anymore, and you’re neither.” 

Morgan shrugged, eating the rest of her chocolate ice-cream. “I’m not really. He didn’t say anything that I didn’t know already, I don’t know if that’s good or bad, you know what I mean? Maybe, I just wished for answers, that he didn’t have? Because apparently nobody yet found a formula to resolve mental health issues, which really would be a great thing, wouldn’t it?” She sighed. “I will put it on my list.” 

“Sadly, those things have nothing to do with math.” Rhodey said, trying to read in her watery eyes what she was thinking, not that it really mattered. He saw her emotions big and clear on her face, but rarely what she thought and said was the same thing as her emotions were showing.

“It should be. It should be possible to resolve anything with math and physics.” 

“It would literally only be taking me about ten seconds to find a hundred people to disagree.” 

“No, because you would need at least five seconds to go out of the door, another three seconds to say out loud what you want and then you only have two seconds to gather a hundred people.” Another sigh. “And yes, I know it was irony.” She put her head onto her hand, looking around with that bored look on her face that probably meant she had about twenty open tabs on her head.

“I know only two weeks passed, since… But do you, do you still want to do it? I mean, how…” He really had no idea how he should ask his goddaughter if she was still considering attempting suicide. He even hated to think about it, to know that she had been ready to choose that way.

“I do not. And I’m not explaining to you why not, but no… I won’t do it. Dr. Jackson said he would talk with mom. He wants to put me on medication. What do you think?”

“It depends on what medication. But I know he is competent, so it would probably be for the best. What kind of medics?”

“Well of course he wants to try antidepressant, but apparently there are different kinds of antidepressant, like most of them being more like a push up, so more active, which clearly we don’t want for my brain. So, it should be one that’s calming, but even if I would love to sleep and feel better, I’m kinda afraid of that. Eating pills to feel better, isn’t it weird? I mean there is treatment for many physical issues, but this… I’m not sure if it is even a real it condition?” 

“Wrong, Genius. Depression is an illness. And yes, you can treat it with medications and medication.” Rhodey was relieved, that Morgan wanted to open up to him, to talk with him about her fears and what she thought. “You can always ask Sam or Bucky…” 

Morgan silenced him with her death glare. How could he forget? The name of Bucky Barnes was a taboo, even for her favorite person Steve. “I’m sorry, but…”

“Shut it.” 

“It’s not as if he killed your father…”

“Shut your fucking mouth Rhodey!” She raised her voice again, screaming… in public. She looked around, glaring at everybody, daring them to say anything. “I don’t give a fuck, you know? I don’t have to like all your Avengers friends, alright? If you bring up his name ever again, or if you talk about Dumbledore or fucking dumbass Danvers, you can put your own name on that list, and you know damn well what that means.” She ran off before he could even try to answer or stop her.

“You’re being a great father figure, Rhodey.” He murmured to himself. “Sure, bring up the man she hates third most in the world, when she’s opening up. God damn, how can anybody be that stupid.” 

He put some money on the table and left. He hoped that even in her anger, she stayed outside or waited by the car. She didn’t. Looking around on the streets of Manhattan, with all the faces moving by, there wasn’t the one of his goddaughter. He knew at that point it was going to be a great afternoon. Not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little teaser for the next chapter: one of everybody's favorites is finally showing up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the notes at the end of the chapter, it's about how I'm planning to construct the story and gives you a minor idea of what's to come, of course there aren't any content spoiler.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

“God damn it, James! I just can’t believe you.” 

Pepper had screamed had him for the last ten minutes or so and slowly even that woman lost her voice. “How can you even be that dumb?” 

He shrugged. “I’m trying okay? I only want the best for her, and you know that.” 

“Apparently, you don’t. She is my daughter, and I trusted you with her, and the first time after two weeks that you show up, she runs away from you? You know that kid. If she doesn’t want to be found, well good luck at finding her.”

“The Avengers are on it.” Steve said, trying to cool down Pepper, which was a lost case to be honest and Steve didn’t blame her, he wasn’t feeling very calm himself.

“Great, Steve. She hates half of them.” 

“That’s not true Pepper.” Rhodey injected. “Sure, she doesn’t like Barnes or Strange, who could blame her, but Peter is looking for her, Sam, some of the new kids.” 

“Again, if she doesn’t want to be found, you could literally put the FBI on it and they wouldn’t succeed.” 

“Yeah, sure Avengers are worse than the FBI. Ridiculous.” Steve murmured to himself, but Rhodey grinned knowingly back to him. Sarcastic Steve was his favorite Steve.

“Who says she doesn’t want to be found?” Happy asked. He had sat on the couch without saying anything since Pepper alarmed him when Rhodey came back without Morgan. 

“She probably just wants to be alone for a while? It sure had nothing to do with the Barnes guy.” Mark also reacted for the first time. “She talked to a therapist for the first time and even if she tries to not be shaken by it, you don’t know what that did to her.” 

Pepper stared at her boyfriend and asked herself how he would react, if one of his kids would be in that same situation. And she couldn’t stop herself from thinking what Tony would do right now. 

He would freak out at first. Like real big freak out. Then he would put on the suit and go to find her. He was the only person that would probably succeed. His thinking process was the same as Morgan’s. He would know what to do. But Mark wasn’t her father, how could he know?

“You know that I kept security on her for the last two weeks.” 

“Which we cannot do forever, Pepper.” Happy said. “She’s a teenager, yes she has mental health issues but that sure as hell won’t be resolved by just not letting her out of your sight.” 

“She is out of my sight right now!” Pepper exclaimed.

Steve’s phone rang and stopped Pepper from starting a new record in screaming without a break, it must be something around two hours and thirty minutes at Tony, although the record she had with Morgan wasn’t far away from that.

“Yes, Buck?” Steve answered.

“I’ve found her.” His best friend simply said. 

“Great.” He answered and felt a lot lighter by receiving that news. “You’re with her?” 

“No. She’s standing on the Empire State Building. She doesn’t look happy, but I don’t think she’s being stupid either.”

“Keep an eye on her, until her mother comes, alright?”

“Sure, thing Stevie.” 

Bucky put his phone back into his pocket. He didn’t know why Steve had assembled the Avengers to go to find a teenager, but he didn’t question his decision either. His friend had a soft spot for the girl, and Bucky knew exactly why. But seeing her standing there alone, staring into the sky, just before sunset, he knew that something wasn’t right. She wasn’t just a run-away teenager. 

He made a decision. He was well aware of the fact, that Morgan wasn’t his biggest fan and he accepted and understood that, but while looking at her, he felt a pain inside of his chest, he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He decided to walk up to her.

Placing himself next to the teenager, laying his hands over the parapet, not looking at her, he said, “I never had the chance to tell you… My sincere condolences for your loss.” He bit down on his lips, forcing himself to not push too far and wait for her reaction.

He heard how she took a deep breath, swallowing and taking a long time before answering. “Who sent you?” 

“Steve.” He simply answered. Bucky was surprised she even responded to him.

“How did you find me up here?” She asked, and he felt her glance on him. 

“Luck, intention… In fact every available Avenger is looking for you.” 

“And you decided to go looking on the Empire State Building, not bad.” 

He smiled. “As I said, intention.” He took a deep breath and now finally looked into her face. She had cried, but seemed to have calmed down now. “I don’t want to compare myself to you, but I thought where I would go, when I was hiding away. It’s a nice place up here. There are a lot of people, but you’re still alone. Above the city you feel bigger than anything else, while at the same time, you look down and it is as if you wouldn’t even exist.” 

Morgan swallowed and didn’t answer. He hit the right spot then.

“I don’t know what happened… But I sure know that your family is freaking out right now, Steve is. He cares a lot for you.” 

“Yep, could say the same about you, but your name is a taboo for me, so I don’t know much.” 

“Ouch. But I don’t blame you, I wouldn’t like the guy that killed my grand-parents either.” He went straight-forward. He had always regretted the fact that he hadn’t even had the chance to try to apologize to Stark himself, for what he did. Maybe he should try and do it to his daughter instead.

“I don’t care about them. Never knew them and I don’t think they would have cared for me, well, Howard at least.” 

“Then I have to ask. Why do you hate me so much?” 

She sniffed and trembled a moment. It was fucking cold in November up on that building. 

“You wanna have my jacket? Your mom will kill me if you’re a capsicle.” 

She actually laughed out. “Can’t be, I’m not Captain America.” He took off his jacket and put it on her shoulders. 

“Some of the other guys kind of stuck with that nickname. The patent surely belongs to your father. All those nicknames came from him, Steve actually calls Peter, Underoos. The kid likes it, although he’s about 27 years old now.” 

“I hate you because you took away one of the most important people in my father’s life and by that I don’t mean his parents.” 

Bucky was confused for about five seconds, before he realized what she was implying. “Steve.”

She nodded. “Maybe it’s silly, but even after they fought each other, my father came to help… so if.” She stopped herself.

“You think, if I wouldn’t have been there, or if I would have already been dead… They wouldn’t have broken up their friendship.” 

“Yes. And if they would have been together when Thanos attacked…” 

“He wouldn’t be dead, today?” He asked. 

“I know it’s stupid. I have tried for a long time to not blame anybody on his death, but it’s easier to cope with his death, when I can believe that it wasn’t really his decision to leave me. I landed on you, Strange and useless Danver.” Some little tears ran down her face and with all the people Bucky had seen crying, and it were a lot… Seeing this really broke his heart. She was so young; and now he could also recognize in her face the five-year-old from the one time he saw her.

“It wasn’t, okay? Blame me. I’m fine with that. What your father did, he did for you. In the end maybe, he decided he had to do it, but he didn’t want to leave you, of that I’m sure. I didn’t know him, but he certainly loved you more than anything.” 

Morgan could actually smile a little. “I hope so…” 

“MORGAN!” Both heard the voice of Pepper Potts behind them and turned around. “My god, why do you always do that to me.” She ran up to her and embraced her daughter. “Please, don’t ever run away.” She whispered into her hair. 

“I just wanted to be alone.” Morgan answered. “I’m sorry.”

While Pepper didn’t let go of her daughter, Rhodey walked up to Bucky Barnes. “Thanks for finding her.”

Bucky nodded once. “Anytime, any day…” He glanced once at the girl and right back to Rhodes. “Do you know if Stark said her goodbyes to her?” 

Rhodey frowned a little and wondered what the former Hydra assassin was implying. “Yeah, I think he did, well he didn’t tell her that he wasn’t coming back, but he said goodbye.” He answered keeping his voice low. “Why?”

Bucky sighed and tapped on the man’s shoulder. “Maybe that wasn’t enough. Talk to her.”

Back at the Stark Tower, Pepper had calmed down. Peter came to visit after the Avengers disassembled. Happy ordered pizza and they all sat together on the big couch, watching last weekends football game. Browns against Ravens. It was oddly comforting, even if Morgan kept on staring at Mark.

The fact that she accepted that her mom had a boyfriend didn’t include that she liked him in her life. She even hated the fact that he was here, knowing that she ran away, knowing about her personal problems. That Mark knows more about her than she did about him.

When they came back, he had directly tried to speak to her. And he did not present himself to her, no, the first thing he said was, that it was alright to feel down sometimes, that he would be there for her and her mom. Maybe it was just Morgan that thought this had been the wrong way, but she really thought it was odd. Rhodey must have seen her face crack, because he pulled her away before she could answer.

God, she hoped he would never stay the night. This was her home. Stark home. Avengers home but not the home of Mark Hanson or, god forbit one of his kids. She really didn’t like him, there was just something that he didn’t like.

Morgan had looked up the guy. FRIDAY had done most of the work. And frankly, she would feel a lot better if he was not leading a tech business, a tech business that wasn’t doing well. And since Morgan also knew all contracts SI was about to conclude, she had seen the name Hanson a little too often for her liking.

But she couldn’t really say anything. First because she wanted her mom to be happy and apparently, she was with Mark, so it was nowhere Morgan’s right to take that away from her. Secondly, her mom did better not know that she put her fingers on business stuff. Then again, she couldn’t allow those contracts.

And the stocks crashed after her father’s death, and it took a while to climb up again and Morgan was completely against the idea to mix private and business, especially with a company that seemed to be worse than Hammer Industries. She had to keep an eye on his.

“You don’t like him.” Her mother said late that evening. They were alone now, watching TV. Morgan looked back to her. 

“I don’t like what you’re doing, and I hate the fact that I morally cannot do anything about it.” She turned her eyes back to the TV.

“I always knew you were digging into Stark Industries contracts…”

“It’s my heritage, mom. Can you blame me? And it’s not as if your engineers got their best ideas out of their heads.” She interrupted. 

“You’re fourteen.” 

“And you can’t think straight anymore.” 

“Can you?” Pepper came back to her.

“Okay, you really wanna hear my reasoning?” Morgan asked but continued when her mother only raised an eyebrow at her. “I think you believe it’s your last chance in love and although I understand, I don’t think it’s true, and I’m sure it’s not a good idea to believe you’re going to keep him because you save his company, which by the way is impossible.” 

“What if it is?” Her mom asked her. “What if he really is my last chance? Because I love him, whether you like it or not, I do.” 

“I don’t think so, but you don’t understand… I’m not telling you to leave him or that I think he’s not good for you. I ask you to keep him out of Stark Industries. It’s my heritage mom. It’s Dad’s and even if you managed it for him, it’s his inventions, his name and in the end it’s his money. Now it’s yours and one day it’s mine. Do you think Dad really wanted all that money go to waste for the first man you fell in love with after his death?”

“You didn’t know him enough to know…” This time Pepper interrupted herself just after the word came out of her mouth. She must apologize to Rhodey, apparently, she was worse than he was. “Honey… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s…” She didn’t know what to say. She knew what she shouldn’t say but now saying the right thing seemed to be impossible for her.

“You still said it, though.” Morgan noticed. “And you’re not wrong.” She looked at her mom with a pained look in her eyes. Pepper could see her soul through the deer brown eyes with the golden sprinkles, shimmering with the tears she was holding back. “That doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. And even if you didn’t want to say it, you thought it.” Morgan’s voice was sore, and Pepper hated the fact that this pain was her fault.

“I mispronounced.”

“You didn’t.” Pepper was startled by the fact that Morgan hadn’t yet used her mistake to leave the conversation and go her way. She was still more or less calm, maybe a little to calm but at least she was ready to talk and not make it out with herself.

“Maybe not, but I didn’t mean it like that. You were five. You had no idea of business or what money was. Time changed, and I know that one of your biggest interests is to make sure everything your Dad did, will never go to waste or will be forgotten. I respect that, and I’m happy about it, but the contracts with Hanson Inc. are nothing but commercial.”

“It’s just not true!” That was the first moment Morgan raised her voice a little. “This company is bullshit and if you wouldn’t help them they’re going bankrupt within the next two months.”

“And you don’t think I might have an interest in not letting that happen to my boyfriend?!” Now Pepper got louder too.

“Then don’t fucking tell me it’s only business!” Morgan screamed and got up from the couch. “If you help them, they’re still going bankrupt within a half a year, at best. And they’re losing not only SI’s money but this is going on our stocks.”

Morgan was already half out of the room when her mother said the following. “I think you’re crossing a line. You’re a teen. I’m your mother and right now it’s my business and not yours. I’m doing what I think is right.”

The teen turned back around. “I own 51%.”

“When you turn 18.” 

“You read his last will, didn’t you? It says you’re obligated to act in my best will and interest. Every idiot could tell you that you’re about to do one of the biggest mistakes for the company.”

“You never played that card.”

Morgan came back into the room and leaned against the wall. “There was no need to. Mom, I swear, my only interest is you and I. Our wellbeing. I never asked you to do anything about the company. Listen to me this once, you love him, that’s absolutely fine by me, I’m happy for you but that… No, please don’t, okay? You and I know that I’m clever, I can run numbers and I did mom, and there’s just no way you’re going to win here.”

“What should I say to him? I’m sorry I’m a billionaire but I can’t save your company?” 

“Yeah, maybe. But hey, mom?” She laughed a little. “Don’t forget, I do the numbers and you the words, I thought you were aware of that separation?” 

Pepper laughed too. “You’re right. I will tell him the truth, that his company is shit. Well, maybe I use some nicer words.” She smiled up to the place where Morgan was still leaning against the wall. “I really didn’t want to say that. You do know him, because you’re just like him. And this is great, I love you no matter what but the fact that you’re the way you are is a blessing. Tony never really left because of you.”

Morgan leaned her head against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. “It’s okay mom. I know you didn’t mean any harm… it’s just that I’m more and more reminded of the fact that everybody around me knew him longer than I did.” She forced herself to look back at her mom. “Which is great for you, but it hurts, he was, he is my father and I never really knew him. Everybody talks about him, people I don’t know, praise him, tell me how lucky I was to have had him as my father and I’m just wondering how it could have been.” 

Pepper swallowed. “He never wanted to hurt you.” 

“I know, I’m the reason he decided to not undo the snap.” She scratched her head, looking around their living room. Once again, looking for things that weren’t there. Whenever she looked like that, as if she was lost in the wrong universe, Pepper saw the little girl whose eyes always wandered around as if she was seeing ghosts. She never grew out of it. 

“Maybe it was the wrong decision.” Morgan whispered, still not focusing on Pepper.

“You were your father’s reason, but there were other people that had kids in those five years and not only this… It wasn’t their decision to decide that everything would be back as if nothing happened. The people needed to know that we are not untouchable, that the Avengers can lose.” 

“They’ve seen that part before, I’m just wondering about the if’s you know? There must have been a better solution.” Morgan wondered and shared for the first time her thoughts with Pepper.

“In this case, I don’t think there was one best decision, there never is, and it pains me to say it but you and I know it’s better to lose one person or two than more. And also, don’t blame yourself for what happened after the people appeared again, without your father those people wouldn’t even exist, nobody can blame him for being a little egoistic.”

Morgan held back tears. “Mom, he knew… He knew he was going to die, he knew before I was born. I don’t believe he was egoistic.” 

Pepper sniffed once. “I know, well I don’t but I think I understand. And I’m thinking the same. He didn’t want me to lose my husband and my daughter, even if there would have been a way to forget you were ever there. But maybe there was another reason, he never wanted to leave anything behind you know? He didn’t care what people thought… But in that cave, he changed… He was another man and I think he decided, he needed to leave something behind. And frankly, Howard told Tony he was his greatest creation, and you know what? You’re Tony’s greatest creation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There he finally is!
> 
> The first part of the chapter is one of my personal favorites, while the second part is only there to bring up Pepper's boyfriend and a fill-in chapter coming up next. I'm not planning to integrate those OC's as major characters, as I said only for a little fill in and because I just don't want Pepper to be alone. Still, I love the original Marvel characters too much to take away any time/space from them.  
> I want Bucky and Sam both to play in the future a bigger part of the story and then I definitely have enough major characters and I want everyone of them to really come into play, especially when the story gets to is main part.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mix sarcastic Morgan with annoyed Pepper and add a spoon of new step-family and you get this Chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, it's taking a little longer than I planned when I started writing this story. I'm studying full time on weekdays and working hours on the weekend. Mostly in the evening I want to write but I'm just too tired. I'm really trying.   
> So, excuse me and enjoy this chapter.

The weeks of November passed rather quickly. Morgan went back to school. She met Dr. Jackson twice a week, she took her medication and just tried to keep herself focused on the now. There were good and bad days. No one was surprised about it and no one was frustrated if things weren’t going perfectly.

Morgan still wasn’t popular in school, even surrounded by other genius kids, she only was the privileged girl that got into the school because she was a Stark. That was fine by Morgan. She only needed to do her work and tests. Those kids would never end up to be her best friend. 

Overall, she planned to go to college next year. Pepper hadn’t yet approved completely. They were getting to it. It was too late now for an early action now, but she was traying to go for the regular action. It didn’t really matter. Morgan knew about the capability of her brain. She would get into MIT whenever she wanted. If she knew it in December or March didn’t make a difference.

With every day that passed, she felt a little better. Sometimes she did feel worse, usually after her appointments with Dr. Jackson but Morgan accepted that this torture was necessary so one day she might feel better. That one day getting up wasn’t a fight with herself. That she didn’t need to train her facial expressions to look happy, and that the darkness that came to get her every night would fade away.

Today, it was her mother that crashed her rather good mood. It was Friday afternoon and Peter had come over to play video games with her. When her mother came up to them in the living room, it took Morgan a single glance to know she was up to something. Pepper may could read her face like an open book, but Morgan had the same ability when it came to her. She paused the game. 

“Hey, what! I was just winning Morgan!” 

“No, you weren’t.” She laughed into Peter’s direction. “What are you up to, mom?” She asked into Pepper’s direction.

“Are you available at 18 o’clock?” She asked politely, which only raised Morgan’s suspicion. Usually, she would just say what she wanted Morgan to do or what she wished for. 

“It depends on what you want me to do?” She responded cautiously. 

“We have guests.” 

“Who?” She squinted her eyes, and was now in alert state.

“Mark, together with Jacob, Ethan and Julia.”

“I’m so sorry, mom… I just remembered I have a bunch of homework to do. That’s a real shame!”

“So, that’s why you’re playing games with Peter?” She raised an eyebrow. “Then Peter can go home and you do your homework, so you’re free at 18 o’clock?”

“Moooooom!” 

Pepper smiled. “You know that I followed your advices for the contracts, now please Morgan, do it for me okay? Try at least, I don’t want to keep you away from them.”

“I want you to keep me away from them!” Morgan answered within a heartbeat, but sighed once. “Fine, I do it. Only for you, but if I don’t like them, and I’m pretty sure I don’t ‘cause they are dumb, I will leave.” 

Pepper nodded. “I take what I can have.”

“I’m not spending Christmas with them. Never.” Morgan declared.

“Deal, but New Year’s Day.”

“Alright, no birthdays. They’re not getting any presents, and I don’t go to parties. And I don’t wanna see their faces on Steve’s birthday. Ever” 

Pepper crossed her arms. “Okay, fine, but only if you try to be nice to them.”

“I’m always nice.” Morgan grinned.

While shaking her head, Pepper walked out of the room. She wasn’t really sure who won that fight. She would count is as a draw. No, definitely a loss. Why again did that kid only inherited the traits of her parents that drove Pepper crazy?

“What the hell was that?” Peter asked bewildered.

“Normal conversations with my mom. Let’s go. I was winning.”

“You so weren’t!”

The evening with her ‘step-father’ came faster than Morgan had hoped. Then again, she knew time didn’t really pass slower or faster, it was her stupid human brain that tricked her. She didn’t feel ready, she felt more like hiding, but she couldn’t because this was important for her mom who was the most important person for her, so as usual, she must try.

Morgan put on her bracelet which warned her before an anxiety attack would come up. She decided to not take her sedative because it usually made her say unintelligent things. It made her really tired, which was nice for the nights and it actually could shut up her brain, but at the same time that was the only weapon she had, right?

Her mother knocked on her door. “Are you ready?” 

“It depends. What do you mean? Mentally? Physically?”

The sound her mother made was a strange combination of a sigh and a sad laugh. “I can cancel if you’re not feeling alright today.”

Morgan opened the door and forced her public smile on her face. She couldn’t trick her mom but hopefully she could fool their guests. “I won’t ever feel alright with this. But that’s okay, sometimes, you gotta do things you don’t like. But if ever I’m leaving the room a little too fast, maybe send them away…”

“You have your bracelet?” Morgan nodded once. “FRIDAY is observing your vital signs?” Another nod. “Did you take your medics?” 

“No, because if I wanna talk, they should know that it’s not me who’s dumb.”

Morgan spent the dinner mostly in silence, which was fine because family Hanson talked enough for 100 people. Even her mother seldomly became a word out of her mouth. And Julia had the most annoying voice she ever heard, it reminded her of the noise Dummy had made when a screw got stuck into his wheel. 

“And what do you do?” Jacob asked her. He was the oldest and probably the dumbest of them. He was 25. He didn’t study anything but worked for his father’s company. Without any competences. No wonder they were going to hell.

“I’m in school.” She answered short.

“Which one?”

“Townsend Harris High School.” 

Jacob grinned wide. “Of course. The name Stark opens all doors, right?”

Morgan swallowed and shared a look with her mom. She wasn’t supposed to not answer to this, right? Pepper only closed her eyes, and took some deep breaths. She wouldn’t stop her; this was a lost case.

“I’m not sure, yeah probably. But I mostly think it’s just my brain that has just more capacity than yours.” The girl answered, and surprised Pepper, that was rather civil for Morgan, she had awaited worse. Much worse.

“I’m working in my father’s company.” Jacob came back to her.

“Jacob.” Mark warned him silently.

The laugh was out of Morgan’s mouth before she could stop it. She leaned back on her seat, crossed her arms and looked amused into the direction of the young man. “What is it exactly what you do there?” Was it weird that she felt superior to a guy more than ten years older? Probably.

“I’m supervising our engineers.”

Morgan eyes grew bigger. “Oh man. Now I really understand why you’re going bankrupt in a month.” She looked back at her mom, only raising an eyebrow, before she finished off her plate. The answer was pure silence.

“Who wants to have a dessert?” Pepper asked and got up. “Morgan come on and help me.” The teen grinned and went into the kitchen with her mother.

“Don’t say anything! I’m trying.” Morgan declared. “Hell, I was silent, while Julia told all this shit. I made a game out of it, you know?! I fucking counted all the lies she told.” 

“She didn’t lie intentionally.” 

“No, but because she’s dumb. It’s 37 by the way. I stopped counting when she said that Paris is the capital of Europe. Why are we even talking politics with them? She’s a republican and you heard her reasoning, right? Because New York is democratic, and she doesn’t want to be mainstream, like what?! And don’t let me get started on Jacob.”

“What’s with Ethan?” Her mother asked, knowing that the middle child was the intelligent one out of the three. And also the most ‘normal’ if today one was allowed to declare someone as normal.

“He’s studying law, and I have to admit he’s not like his siblings but he should have known that his father’s company is going downhill. You know what? My bracelet has been alarming me for the last twenty minutes, and I’m not having a panic attack. I think my brain cannot support that much dumbness inside our home.”

This put at least a little grin in Pepper’s face. “I like him.” She reasoned with her daughter.

“Your bad.” She answered. “But that’s the only reason why I’m still sitting here.” She took the cheesecake out of her mother’s hands, and walked straight back to their guests. She needed this dinner done as fast as possible.

The rest of the evening wasn’t really any better. The Hanson’s were shocked when they found out that Morgan would probably be going to the MIT the next year, and that yes, she was a certificate genius and that it wasn’t just a saying.

She was pretty proud of herself when they finally left. She had managed not to scream at them. She hadn’t been overly sarcastic, while they still seemed to have gotten the most important message: she didn’t like them and they wouldn’t be part of her family.

“Don’t say it.” Her mom said, when she came back after having said goodbye to her boyfriend. 

Morgan grinned. “What exactly shouldn’t I say?”

“Don’t say anything mean. Mark knows that Jacob is not the cleverest, he tries to give him a chance in life, and yes Julia is a little annoying and yeah, none of them is a genius, not everybody is…” Pepper sighed. “I know this was hard for you, and I know you don’t like any of them, just don’t… Try to don’t destroy it for me, okay?”

Morgan fell on the couch. “I won’t ‘destroy’ it, well, I might if you wanna marry him.” She turned her head into the direction of her mom that had sat down too. “You don’t right?”

“Are you afraid, you will have to share?” Pepper laughed for a short moment.

“I’m afraid I will have a stepdad and stepsiblings that want to boss me around, and who will move into my home.” 

“I won’t marry him. I only ever wanted to get married once in my lifetime, and I did.” The smiles disappeared from both their faces. “It took him long enough.” Pepper tried to not let them both get into a bad mood.

“Did you ever regret it?” Morgan asked. “You separated before, because you couldn’t take it… You knew the chances were high.”

“No… I don’t, never. I wasn’t surprised, which sounds hard for you but…” She shook her head. “When he laid there before me, I felt sad but also… Your Dad died smiling and you know why?” 

Morgan thought about it for a moment, and her mind wandered to the moment she wanted to jump off the tower. She wouldn’t remind her mother of it, but yes, she understood why someone would smile before death, because all that pain would be over within the next minute.

“He knew it was going to be okay. He knew we won. He only ever wished for a safer and better future, and he did it. Everybody said he was crazy and that he had PTSD, which he had, but also everything he said became true. There had been something bigger coming to get us.” 

“Crazy to think that there’s that much up there… That there was this alien that wanted to kill half of the population. And that he did it, he just took the wrong half.” She sighed. “What if Dad would have been the one to fade away, together with Steve, Bruce and Scott? And you? There might have never been a time travel. There would have never been me.”

“Don’t forget what Dr. Jackson told you. You gotta stop thinking of all these possibilities.”

“You do it too.” Morgan declared fast.

“Yes, but I can stop, and I’m not a little Einstein.” 

“Me neither. I’m a Stark. And I swear to you mom, if there’s ever a way to get him back… I will do it. I cannot not try.” 

“You can’t bring back dead people, honey. I’m sorry but it’s impossible. And I know, that you know that.” 

Morgan once again stared at the ceiling. “And nobody believed time travel was possible, and who did it? My Dad! A Stark did it.” 

“You know that what they did wasn’t really a time travel? You cannot change your own past.” 

Morgan sighed and nodded once. “It’s just hard, mom. I wish he had told me what was about to happen. He knew he wouldn’t come back that day.”

“How was he supposed to do that? You were five, you don’t tell your five-year-old you’re going to die.” 

“Maybe you’re right, but I have so many questions, mom. I wish I could ask him those.”

Pepper didn’t know what she should answer. Morgan unconsciously reminded her more and more of the fact that Mark wasn’t Tony. Naturally, she hadn’t been looking for a replacement but those reminders also let her remember why she fell in love with Tony in the first place.

It reminded her that Morgan hadn’t a Dad anymore. It would have been Tony that would have protected her of the bullies in school and her stupid teachers. Tony would have sat down in the workshop with her, explaining her physics, electro mechanics, robotic. All those things Pepper herself had no clue of. 

They would have built things together. She could see it. Her daughter probably never picked a favorite, but that hadn’t been necessary. Tony and Morgan had had a connection; Pepper could only dream of with either of them. God, how great this father-daughter team would have been… This was all so unfair.

Tony would have seen the signs of her depression because he knew them himself. He would have showed her the new Avengers compound, the MIT, Stark Industries. She would grow up being the most spoiled and the most humbled kid at the same time. She would like all of the Avengers now, if her father hadn’t died. She had missed out on so many great things.

And every time she had those thoughts she wondered if Tony had done something differently if he would have known how Morgan would take it, what a huge impact her father’s death would have on her life, her development, just her being.

She would never find out, so she decided to stop thinking about it. She missed Tony every day of her life, but while her heart was still aching, she learnt that one could still miss and love someone that isn’t there anymore while still loving somebody else.

“Do you have any wishes for Christmas this year? Maybe anything new for the workshop?” Pepper asked. She wanted to change the subject before all went downhill, especially since Morgan didn’t take her sedatives today, her brain must be running circles right now.

“You know I buy those things myself.” Morgan smiled a little. “But, yeah, I actually have a wish, but it’s nothing you could buy.” 

Pepper raised an eyebrow. “Why am I always suspicious when you say something that I can’t figure out within a second?”

“Probably because I’m your teenage daughter and I’m the combination of you and Dad? I would be suspicious too, all the time.” She laughed. “But seriously, I really do have a wish, it wouldn’t cost you anything. I just need your permission.” 

Pepper crossed her arms. She wasn’t very strict with her daughter. There were only a few rules because Pepper had wanted Morgan to learn that she must be grateful for what they have and that she got really lucky, well materially speaking. The things that Pepper did forbid where usually only things that were massively dangerous or things only rich kids had.

Like only traveling by a private plane, having cars before they can drive them, having a private chef, a nanny, somebody that cleaned her bedroom. Although they had someone to clean the penthouse, Morgan had to clean her room herself and the mess that she called the workshop. “Go on.” She told her, she was curious now.

Morgan sat straight up on the couch. “You know that Steve…” She swallowed and took a deep breath. “He won’t live forever and I just… I always wanted to go to the Compound, and I fully understand why you don’t want me there… I just wish I could go there once, with Steve…” She scratched her head.

“And that’s your Christmas wish?” Pepper asked surprised. She had expected a lot more. She actually believed, Morgan would ask her for permission to build herself a suit of armor, travelling to Wakanda or just flying with Rhodey on the suit.

“Yeah…Is it too much? I know you don’t have good feelings about this place…”

Pepper sighed, smiling tenderly into the direction of her daughter. “I raised you well, you know? Mo… This is… of course you can. I didn’t want you to go there when you were still a kid and this place was still… all burnt down and…” 

“And you could actually tell where Dad died?” Morgan asked. 

“Yes. That… but I understand that this is important to you, and I understand why you want to do that with Steve, and I will allow it. You showed me in the last weeks that I can trust you and that you’re working on yourself. Time for a reward. But, Morgan you know who will be there too?” 

“You mean they-who-must-not-be-named?” Morgan laughed. 

“You’re getting boring, you know? Every time it’s Harry Potter.” 

“Not true, but it fits perfectly for Strange, doesn’t it? He totally is Dumbledore.” 

Pepper rolled her eyes. She was so not getting herself into a fight with her daughter about the people she probably hated the most. Maybe she had to one day, to teach her daughter not to blame other people on her misery.

“And I’ve gotten better, you know? I don’t wish Barnes to die a painful death anymore.” 

Pepper stared at her. “You did never, did you?!” 

“No… I mean, probably only because he’s Steve’s friend, but he’s alright, I guess… He was very kind when we talked. I might have to apologize one day… and he’s the only one living in the Compound, I hope that ‘Carol’ is back in nowhere and Dumbledore is hopefully not killing somebody in another dimension.”

Pepper must say something, Morgan needed to stop playing that game. “Morgan. Listen to me. Those people didn’t kill your father, okay? What Barnes did was horrible, no doubt, but you know what happened to him? He was brainwashed and kept as a weapon without free will. And Strange saved people by taking that decision. He hated it. I talked to him, thanks to him I saw your father one last time… I’m sure he would apologize to you if you gave him a chance. And Carol… She saved him from outer space. He would have painfully died if she wouldn’t have rescued him.” 

Morgan closed her eyes once, took a deep breath and walked off to her room. A silent “Good night, mom.” Coming out of her mouth. 

“Good night, Honey.” Pepper answered into the empty room. This was honestly a new reaction. She had expected Morgan to fight with her, discuss it, maybe some screaming but avoiding the conversation? She did that with other people, but if Pepper pushed on the right subjects, Morgan would never back off.

Pepper didn’t know that this would be the last words Morgan would say to her for two weeks. There would be some screaming, but mostly just showing off her cold shoulder.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Rhodey, more Bucky... I hope you like it!  
> Enjoy it!
> 
> Some of my thoughts on Endgame at the end notes.

Morgan didn’t exactly know why she didn’t want to talk to her mother. She only knew she didn’t feel like it. The night she left her mom in the living room was about ten days ago and she really didn’t intent to not speak the next day, but it just happened and now she didn’t want to stop. More like she did, but couldn’t.

And she couldn’t because she would only scream. Every time they tried talking, Morgan would end up screaming at her mom and later having a major panic attack in her room. She would cry and it was totally ugly. Until she was over her labile self, she needed to stop talking to her, because she didn’t want to hurt her mom’s feelings which she had done already often enough.

“Is it just with your mom?” Dr. Jackson asked today on their appointment. Morgan only nodded as answer. She didn’t talk much with anybody the last weeks, but she didn’t end up screaming at the rest of them. “Okay, do you feel a change because of the medics maybe?”

“It’s not the medics… I’m just not so well right now. You told me it would be normal to have some down’s in between, didn’t you? It will be gone in no time. Until then I’m just going my own way.”

“I said that, yes but this is not just a normal down. You’re only going against your mom; this must have other reasons.” 

Morgan shrugged. She didn’t feel like sharing or talking to him about her silly feelings. 

“Come on, girl. You know everything you say stays between you and me. Tell me what’s bothering you so much, because I know there’s something and you will feel better if you talk to me about it, won’t you?” 

Morgan didn’t answer. She didn’t have to share everything in her life with him, right? She deserved a little privacy. God, this therapy was so exhausting.

Dr. Jackson leaned back on his seat, crossed his legs on his ankles, crossed his arms too. “Well, we still have fifteen minutes. I will just wait until you start.” Morgan really wanted to hate him, but it was impossible with that guy. “Oh, and I can continue to do that into the next week.” He added. 

Morgan sniffed once. “I really don’t know why I feel like this, because I know it’s not true, but…” She started silently. “It is as if she’s looking for a new family, and every time Dad comes up, she changes the subject. Last time we talked, she even defended, excused the people causing my father’s death. And maybe, I’m too much to handle, and she would rather have them as their family?”

“Okay, okay, wait. You know I don’t usually do that, but what the fuck? You don’t actually believe that?!”

Morgan shrugged. “Not sure anymore.”

“Have you tried talking to her? And not just taking about anything but exactly about this?”

“Yes and no.”

“So, no?”

“Probably not.”

He shook his head. “Homework for you. Tell your mom how you feel.” 

“I can’t, she’s happy now, who am I to destroy that?” She objected.

“You don’t! And your mother isn’t happy, if you aren’t. Now, go and talk. I will see you in three days, and I want some progress.” He dismissed her fast and rudely, which was nothing new to her, maybe his army personality came through now and then. 

Morgan really had planned to talk to her mother that evening; she really had. The whole day, she had been trying all possible methods to calm down, and to stay calm, she was tired of screaming and crying every time they talked. But then Mark happened, and Morgan only wanted to disappear.

When she came back from therapy, she went into the workshop, her mother was still working so there was no need to get all anxious before they could even start. The bots greeted her overjoyed, especially DUM-E who was still waiting for a reparation on his arm.

“Later.” She told him. “I’ve got something else to do.” She petted his head. “FRIDAY, let’s work on ‘Redemption’, show me the progress, did you run the latest numbers?” 

“I did, Miss.” Morgan sat down in front of her displays where FRIDAY showed her the progress. “I’m afraid, it might expand your budget.” 

“Nah, when the new StarkPad is on the market, we will make another billion.” 

“Which is the company’s money.” 

Morgan rolled her eyes. “You’re supposed to help me, so help me. It won’t hurt the company if I take some money, okay? I’ll give it back without anybody realizing it was ever missing.” 

“I’m also supposed to protect you, and this plan seems to interfere with this task.” The AI answered concerned. 

“Yeah, yeah… We’ve been over this. A million times. You’ve got two possibilities, either I do it with or without you, which way you can protect me the best?”

“The latest updates show, that you will need double as much of Vibranium as we planned in the first place. Even if we have the resources to buy it, I’m not certain, King T’Challa would be overjoyed to share with you, Miss.”

“No worries there, I will talk to Shuri. She’s a friend and it was my father saving all their asses. I’m sure they will give it to me with the right amount of money.”

Before FRIDAY could answer her, the AI shut down all computers and holograms that Morgan had just opened. This could only mean someone entered the workshop that was not allowed to see her plans, which was everybody at this point but only few people had access codes to enter without her orders. And none of them should be here now, only maybe her mom who hadn’t come down to her for two weeks.

Morgan slowly turned around to see who used the access code. She didn’t even know how to react, when she saw Mark entering her space. And that’s what he really did. He came nearer and nearer and didn’t even say a word. 

“Normal people knock on the door.” She shouted at him.

“I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have opened.” He answered. “Hello, by the way. How was your therapy?” He stopped in his track being only about 8 feet away from her, which honestly was way too close for Morgan. Maybe she was overreacting but her heartbeat definitely picked up a little speed.

“First of all, you’re not allowed in here; second of all, my therapy is absolutely none of your business; and third of all, you found the door once, I’m sure you do find it again. Goodbye. Have a nice day.” For the effect, Morgan really wanted to turn around on her seat, but she couldn’t let him out of her sight.

“We need to talk.” He ignored her dismissal. 

“Nope, we absolutely don’t. You’re like the last person I want to talk to, really. I’d rather talk for hours with Dumbledore than talking with you, alone, in my personal space.” Needless to say, he didn’t get any of the clues.

“I mean, I’m a part of your life now, and since you’re threating your mother the way you do, we need to have a conversation.” 

Morgan laughed once, and wondered how she was still so calm, then again, her bracelet was telling a different story. She got better than in not showing off her emotions. She needed to get rid of him before the attack would start. 

“YOU are not a part of my life and you won’t ever be. I tolerate you as the boyfriend of my mom, but the way you’re acting right now I might consider on getting a real pain in the ass for you, and believe me, I can do that! And don’t you ever try again bossing me around! That won’t end well for you.”

“Why are you acting the way you do?! Not talking to your mother that literally does everything for you! And if you talk to her, you scream? That seems to me as if you’re an ungrateful brat!” 

Her eyes grew wide, and she swallowed down her anger. No, she would not give him what he wanted, she would not freak out in front of him. “It’s like I’m talking to a wall.” She answered. “I give you one single last chance. You leave now on your own, or the security is going to throw you out.” 

“Why can’t you talk to me, as if you were a grown-up! It’s really exhausting you know? Pepper deserves better from her own kid.”

“Just for the protocol, I’m only fourteen but apparently, I’m the grown-up here, which is weird. And then, you want me to grow up, and in the next sentence I’m a kid, like what?! There’s just no point in that conversation, why the hell are you even here?” 

“Because I support my girlfriend who’s going nuts because she has an ungrateful daughter.” He explained calmly.

“And I support my goddaughter, that’s anything but ungrateful.” She heard Rhodey’s voice from the door. That was a relief. “Could you back off a little, or more? You’re too close to her. And while you’re on it, you could just leave. Being Pepper’s boyfriend doesn’t allow you to walk around where ever you want, got that? I’m talking to security to get you restrictions.”

Rhodey’s presence made Mark back off a few steps. “I just wanted to talk to her, because clearly we’re having a fundamental misunderstanding.” He explained himself.

“But she didn’t want to talk to you. So, I will repeat myself. Goodbye Mark, the door is still open.” Rhodey came nearer and placed himself between Morgan and Mark, glaring at him to stop Mark from saying anything. 

“Fine.” He said, turning around and walking away. Only when the door closed, Morgan let her anxiety out. She fell back on her seat, her body started shaking and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. She was a little more comfortable with Rhodey around.

“Hey, genius. You’re okay?” He turned around, putting two fingers on her neck to feel her pulse. “Lucky you, I was here, right?”

She nodded once, she wasn’t really up for speaking. Now there were those ugly tears coming. God, it was so embarrassing.

“FRIDAY alarmed be, because you did not react on the alarming of the bracelet.” He sighed. “Now, I get why. What did he want? How did he even enter?”

“Mom’s codes.” She whispered, shivering. Breath in and out. Counting down from 100 to 1. She could do that. Nothing happened to her and nothing would happen.

Rhodey furrowed his brow. “You know what, maybe you should come to me for a couple of days. This needs to stop. You’re getting worse than before, I can’t have that.” He decided. “You’re good to walk? We go upstairs, you pick some clothes, your school work and I get you out of here. Rather sooner than later.”

“I don’t wanna do that to mom.” She shivered once again. She didn’t want to hurt her mom by going away, this would only worsen the situation. And Mark would be there probably talking about how shitty Morgan is.

“She will know, it would be for the best. Just a couple of days. Everybody can calm down, and I can take you away from that dick. And I can talk to your mom and we’ll find a solution, alright?”

Morgan laughed once, slowly feeling like herself again. “You don’t like him either.” She noted.

“Well, until now, I liked him, but acting like that with my goddaughter is a no go and you know that. It’s my job to protect you right? Especially if it is your stepdad that’s giving you a hard time. Tony would expect as much from me.”

Morgan leaned back on her seat. “He’s not my stepfather. But I’m really happy you’re accepted the situation as it is.” 

“Yeah, me too.” He answered, smiling down at her. “Now, let’s go. After fourteen years, you’re finally going to see the compound. I will tell Steve to come to visit. He can show you around.”

“You know, I’m trying to help, right?” Morgan heard Rhodey telling her mom, standing behind the door.

“I know.” She answered. “I shouldn’t have given him the codes. I just thought, maybe she can accept it better, if he talks to her.”

“Morgan knows that you didn’t mean any harm, and I’m sure she’s absolutely fine with you having a boyfriend. She just doesn’t want to have a man she barely knows to boss her around and taking Tony’s place as her father. And I saw how he spoke to her. There are boundaries Pepper, and he just doesn’t care. Also, you told me you weren’t planning to marry him.”

“I don’t, never. And he won’t move in. At least as long as Morgan lives with me and then I rather move in at his place… Moving in here feels wrong, this is Tony’s place, the Avengers place…” 

“Good. I will take care of her, and the Avengers will too. You wanted her to see the Compound now, didn’t you?”

Morgan saw her mother nodding when she opened the door. Two bags in her hand. “It’s just some clothes, mostly my school stuff and my laptop.” Morgan said, when she saw the shocked look on her mother’s face.

“Give those to me and hug your mom. I will wait downstairs.” Her uncle told her and walked off to the elevator.

When her mom embraced her, tears filled up her eyes and she clung on her mother. “I’m so sorry Honey.” Pepper whispered into her daughter’s hair. “Have fun with Rhodey and the others, hopefully it will be better after.”

“Yeah. It will be.” She answered and let go of her mother. “See you in a few days.”

When the car rolled up the driveway of the compound, Morgan only stared out of the window. “It’s nice isn’t it?” Rhodey asked after he had opened the gate with his key card.

“Yes. It’s pretty cool. Who else is here right now?” She asked.

“Wow, let me think. Wanda, Peter, Sam and Bucky are normally around. Maybe Thor is there, he wanted to visit. Oh yeah, and Bruce just said goodbye yesterday but he will be back in a few weeks. The others are in and out irregulary.”

“Is it weird, living where Dad died?” She asked, turning around to see his face.

“At first, I thought it would, but no, actually not. The compound is similar to the old one, but not at all the same and, your dad is honoured here. By everybody. It feels like coming home, you know? I feel close to him when I’m here. And whenever Steve is around, the first thing he does is praying in front of Tony and Nat’s statue.”

“Really?” Morgan asked bewildered.

“Yeah, I mean he’s religious. He believes that they are with God now. It’s his way on paying tribute I think… You know sooner or later, he will be gone, right?”

“Yep, I know.” She sighed. “And it will hurt but at the same time…” She smiled. “It will be alright you know? Steve lived a long life, and I was lucky enough to get to know him but as much as Tony or Natasha, he deserves to rest.” She shrugged once. “The last few times I saw him, I also saw his tiredness. He’s ready to go, I don’t really know what’s still holding him, but it won’t be long anymore.”

Rhodey took her hand. “You’re very brave and strong. Steve surely wants to show you the compound before leaving forever. He comes over tonight.”

Bucky only found out at dinner that the Stark girl was staying with them for a couple of days. That wasn’t a bad thing, but it showed him that her problems hadn’t been solved yet, and he felt truly sorry. But she really was a nice girl. She didn’t talk directly to him, but there was a little smile on the corner of her face when he had entered the room. For Bucky that was a major win. 

Right now, he was standing at the window, watching his best friend and the girl standing in front of Tony Stark’s statue. It was already completely dark outside, so they couldn’t see him, standing on the window in the dark room, but he could see the lamps shining on them. And he saw how Steve put on a candle for his long-gone friend. 

“You’re rather fond of the girl.” Sam told him. Bucky wasn’t surprised by his presence. He had heart the elevator.

“Maybe.” He answered. “Mostly, I feel sorry. She deserved better, and I blame myself for parts of it.” 

Sam also looked down at the two people standing there in the cold. “She did, but that’s not your fault. I think she would like you, if you’d spend a little more time together.”

Bucky sighed. “Well, soon enough Steve will leave us behind, I thought maybe…” He smiled to his friend. “It’s stupid but I thought, maybe I could just… you know, help her maybe? It’s silly, I just feel obligated because I never got to tell Stark that I’m sorry. And with Steve gone, I’m the next old guy as a role model to take.” He forced a laugh out of his mouth.

Sam laid a hand on Bucky’s shoulder. “He knows. Tony. You know, you’re pretty visible to me when you’re talking to his statue. And even if Tony doesn’t know, Steve will tell him.” 

“I’m a Christian, don’t blame me…” He grinned once. “You know what I’ve always wondered?” He asked his friend. “Except for his kids, Steve misses Tony and Natasha more than anything else … But until today I don’t know which one of them he fell in love with.” Sam laughed. 

“Ask him.” 

“Nope, he can have that one secret. In another life, I might find out who it is. We could bet on it and after his death we might find some love letters.”

“Come on, let’s put on the PlayStation, I’m sure the Spiderkid and Morgan are up for a game.” His friend pulled him away from the window, while laughing and shaking his head about the ideas Bucky was getting.

It was at the same window, Bucky had watched Morgan last night, where he found her in the early morning of the next day. The sun was just raising, and Bucky had wanted to go for a run. The girl sat right in front of the window, silently watching the first snowflakes of this winter falling down on the grass

“Trouble sleeping?” He asked her, slowly approaching. 

“Do you?” She asked. 

“Not anymore. I wanted to go for a run.” He answered honestly.

“What’s stopping you?” 

Bucky sat down next to her. “That teenage girl, that should be in her bed because she has school in two hours.” 

She sighed once, and yet again Bucky saw tears running down her cheeks. He really needed to talk to her when she was not having a breakdown or a major identity crisis. Anything without tears would be fine to be honest.

“I’m used to not sleeping and going to school.” 

“You wanna talk about the reasons for your sleep deprivation, or are you going to sit here all by yourself? Want to go jogging with me?”

She shrugged, forcing a little smile on her face. “’m not really a sports person.” 

“Well, the future leader of the Avengers should be a little sportive, better start sooner than later.” He grinned.

Morgan laid her head on her knees and turned her face to see him directly into his eyes. “You think I will be leader of the Avengers?” 

Now, it was him shrugging. “I’m sure you will be able to be whatever you want to, but well Rhodey kinda keeps on talking about this little genius kid that repairs his suit with him. Sounds to me like my new leader.” 

“Jealous?” She asked while pushing a sketch book into his direction. 

“Well, Shuri did a pretty good job with my arm. Wakanda is just far away, Sam usually helps me when something’s not perfect anymore.” He looked down at the sketch book. “You want me to have a look?” She nodded once, and he opened the first page.

“You sure, you’re not Steve’s daughter?” He laughed before taking a closer look. “Wow. Wait. Is that? What?”

She smiled again, looking back at the Statue of her dad, also covered in snow by now. “It’s an idea.” She said, a last tear dropping out of her eye. 

“It looks like a strange combination of your father’s suit and Black Panther. Pretty cool, pretty expensive, too. So, you wanna be a part of the Avengers or who’s going to have that?”

“Is there anything you want to change? I mean, if you think back, anything you would change?” She asked instead of answering his question. 

“Doesn’t everybody?” Bucky asked. “But yeah, I would prevent myself from being captured by HYDRA. Although that would probably mean I wouldn’t be here today. But I think, it would be for the better for most people. And you? Bringing back your dad?”

She shook her head. “I mean, yes… But I know, you cannot really change your past.”

“I thought it was all rhetorical talking.” He pushed the sketch book back to her. “Then tell me what’s that for?”

“Changing the future?” She got up and looked down at him. “I don’t know why, because I’m pretty confused right now. I don’t know what I feel, how I should feel. I don’t know what’s right, and what’s wrong, but there’s one thing that’s been in my head for the last weeks.” 

She sighed. “I forgive you. I mean you didn’t do anything to me, but there’s just that one thing I know for sure now. Nothing of what has happened in my life, is your fault. So, you have it. My forgiveness for what happened with my dad and my grand-parents. I don’t blame you anymore.”

She smiled at him. “It’s actually me that should apologise. I’m deeply sorry about the way I acted and treated you. Your package is big enough, no need for a brat like me to hate on you for no reason. I hope maybe one day you can forgive me too.”

With a last smile, she turned around and walked away. “Hey, Stark!” Bucky called after her, and while still walking she turned around. “I forgive you. You didn’t do any wrong. No worries. Thanks for the talk.” 

“My name is Morgan.” She answered before disappearing into the elevator. 

Bucky forgot about his idea to go for a run. He stayed right in front of the window, watched the sunrise and now and then looked down at Tony Stark’s statue, and knew that now he could let go of this one thing he had regretted most in life. It wasn’t killing his parents, which he regretted too, but he wasn’t on his mind then. It was attacking one of Steve’s best friends instead of apologizing to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!!!! Spoilers for Endgame (but why should people read stories that happen after Endgame?) but just as a warning.
> 
> My Endgame theory is as followed, Steve went to Peggy but not because he loved her so much, because he's not that egoistic to take away a good life from her and because he found his place in the 21st century, but because he couldn't live in this time without Nat and Tony, because it was also them giving him a home there. So, Steve for once in his life chickened out, because he couldn't take the pain. For him there was no 21st century without them. 
> 
> Which brings me to a little -not so important- point of the story. My Steve went a little further than MCU Steve. He fell in love with one of them. I personally ship Stony till death but I totally get why people ship him with Natasha, I think especially those three in pairs or together had always great chemistry. So, pick whichever you like most. My Steve loved Peggy but in his heart there will always be a fellow Avenger.
> 
> I'm totally overwriting this note. Thanks for everybody that put up with that till the end.
> 
> Bye, bye.


End file.
